Local Justice: How Institutions Allocate Scarce Goods & Necessary Burdens

291 Pages·1993·4.24 MB·English

by  Jon Elster

LOCAL JUSTICE
How InstituAtlilooncsSa ctaer Gcoeo ds
andN ecessBaurryd ens
jon Elster
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Contenst
Prefaacned A cknowledgments vii
1 Introduction 1
2 ProblemosfL ocaJlu stice 18
3 PrincipolfeL so caJlu stice 62
4 ConsequencoefLs o caJlu stice 113
5 ExplainLioncga Jlu stice 135
6 Locaaln dG lobaJlu stice 184
7 ConclusiSoonm:e U nexplorIesds ues 246
References 251
Index 263
V
ForK athLyo,r raianned, Minnie
Preface
andA cknowledgm-nets
Thisw orkh ast wom ainfl aws,a ndo nep osisblvei rute.I am
acutealwya reo ft hef actth aIt am stretchmiyn gc ompetence
thinolvye arl argneu mbeorf a reaIsti. s njoutst th amty treatment
oft hei ssueisss electmiyv ek:n owledgiesb aseodn whatm ay
welble ,i ns omec aseisd,i oscyrnaticcahlolsye unn,r epresentative,
ord atesdo urceAsl.t houIgc ho ulhda veg athermeodr ea,n d more
accuraintfeo, rmatitohniw,so uldn oth avem adem ucho fa differ­
encef ort hem ainp urposoeft heb ookw,h icih st os ketcah f rame­
workf ort hes tudoyf t hei n-kianldl ocatoifgo ono dasn db urdnes.
Unfortunattehlayft,r amewortku rneodu tt o bmee ssya nd
ugl.y hIa veb eenu nablteo r espetchte s tandarodfss implicity
andp arsimotnhya mta nyr eadewrisl fle etlh eyh avea rightto
expecItt.m ay bet haItj uslta ctkh ea biliotrty h ei nclinattoi on
cut throtuhgebh e wildersiunrgf avcaer ieotfyl ocajlu sitcep he­
nomenaa ndf indt heu nderlyipnrgi nciptlheaswt o uldb estow
intelligoibnit lhietmay l lO.r itm ighbte t·h atth eraer en os uch
principtlobe esf ounda,n dt hatth em essineissis n hereinntt he
objecMto.s tp robabltyh,e riess omet rutihn b othh ypotheses.
Ih opet hasto mer eadernse,v ertlheeswsi,l l shmayr dee light
vii
viiPir efaancdAe c knowledgments
ande xhilairnao tbisoenr vtihneeg n dle___sy _asr i�_tiyn_v�enndt ive­
nesosfh umainn stituTthiedo entsa.ai rlens o ti ncidetnott hael
sotrIya mt elltihnegy: i atersse s ceenI.a ms urIec oulhda vteo ld
bethesentt oolbrbedyut; tIt ha eonrdpp,t ee h rehrmaaaep by sse ttitbsleeolsr ro o tfms eit nosrctyorl. uduh caatnvideo n
enetrtainimnwe hnatft o llows.
Mym aiinn telldeecbtatursate lo m y collaboirnat thoeLr os�cl
JustPircoej ea�cJth �JJniy�()rfCs hiitcya gPoat:r iCcoian leMyI,­
di.aefi5ennSftse;Lv aey moann,dS tu�Ruotm m.T hrouoguhre x­
changoevset rh lea sfte wy earthse hya vper ovidmeed w itihn ­
valuafbalceti unaflo rmaatswi eolanls c onceplat rugauemntasn d
inonvateixvpel anastuogsrgtyei oInnst .h ep resebnoto Ikh aev
drawenx tevnesloiyn t hewiorr kipnagp eornst rnasplaanttion,
layoafnfdcso l,l eagdem issIih oanv.ae l sboe nefigtreetydal f rom
thediert awirliedtc toemnm enotnts h per esmeanntu srcipatn di ts
variaonutse ce.dT ehnet sexotfe nttch oenitrr inbsuw tiilbole cmoe
cleiansr u bseqpuuebnlti caftriootmnh se LJoucsatlPi rcoecj teI.
wanttoe mphashiowzeev,e trh,a tth esihra rient hper ocjtgeo es
welble yotnhda otfr eseaarscshi staasun scuea lcloyne civ.eI dfI
hadb een taobp liedn owne xacwthliyc ohft hied eadse vlepoed
beloowr iginiantt heedsi urg genssts,ic ooroefrs e fnecreewso uld
havbee erne quiSriendic.ite sh artdoi denttihfoeyr ing oifi daes
thaatr iisne tghieva en dt akoefd iscusstihoicnso, lc lteei avnd
nonspecaicfkiwnclo edgmweinlhtla vteo d o.
Ih �vea lsboe nefeintoerdom uslfyr ommy coalblroatni woith
FredErnigke aldsN,ti caosHl erpiann,dV olkSecrh mti,dw ho are
respiobnlfseotr h Leo cJauls tPircoej eicnN-t so rway,F racnea,n d
�ermanrye,s pectWiivtehl yt.th oeomIe,, x percieedtn heex ciintg
mterpbleatyw eiennf oartmion-gatohnte hreio nngeh an,da nd
cocnepatlau ndc ausaanla lyosnti hsoe t her.
Ont hsee veorcaacls isot nhaItt augchotu rsoents he e mpircial
stduyo fd 't ruit vbie J· U·s taittc heeU niverosfiC thyci aog Ih ave
IS
enddeu pg ettaismn ugc ha sIw asg iviIna gm.e spelcyiga rtlaeufl
tT.ooft aK.frr oew. Lnh e atm blIcern kGae eed r, rr Mfoya m tch ek · riDpreaa ,ivp dMe ocrlnsnp try'i arscendor nMo ow.mndc gia,
lmnugriaotna,n dad otpino.
For .o mcme.nt so n van· ousw okrinpga perthsa etv eunatlly
trnahlu edm tot� Isb ooIka mi ndedbt toGe .A .C ohenH,an sF redirk
D 'T orsmt EeckhoDfa£g,f iFnenl lesMdiarmli ,aG oldne,A an-
PrefaacnedA cknowledgmentisx
undH yllaRnadi,nM oa lneasn,dC asSsu nst.Ce rianiCga lhoun,
WillHeomf stDeaev,iL da itCilna,u s aOnfdJf oeh,Rn o ememra de
detaicloemdm enotnst hweh olmea nursicpwth,i ch reisnu lted
substacnhatnigaealsn dI,h opei,m provements.
Ia mg ratetfotu hlRe u ssSealglFe o undatifoinn afnoscrui pa­l
porotft hper oject. Asdudpiptohiraotbsn e aelpn r ovibdyet dh e
SpencFeoru ndattihoeCn o,l leBgoea rtdh,e CefnotEret rh ics,
RationaalnidSt oyic,e taytt heU nivetryos fiC hicaagnod,t he
NorwegRieasne aCrocuhn cAi fle.l lowfsrhoitmph e JSoihmno n
GuggenhFeoiumna dtiionn1 98p9r ovimdeew di tthi mteor ead
andt hiwnhke nIn eedietmd o s.tI w isthot hantkh eaml l.
A finaaclk nowledigsmd eunett oS tevLeany mna andS ven
Linblfoacrdo mpetent and biimbalgiiongaarlata sipsvhieis ctance.
Id edaitcteh ibso otko K athAyn dersLoonr,r aDiwneel laen,d
MinnSieea hoimnt hPeo lialtS iccieDnecpea rtmaettn htUe n iver­
sitoyfC hicafgootr,h eiinrv arihaebllpef ualnndec sosm petence.

1
Itnordutcion
A classdiecfailn iotfei coonn osmi istc haitdt eawlist thh ael lao­c
tioonfs carrcees ourwcietashl ternuasetsiA.vn ee qualwleyl l­
knowdne finiotfpi oolni itsit chsai tti sa bou"tw ho gwehtast ,
whena,n dh ow."A ccordtiotn hge dseef initthiieos nssu,e s raised
int hibso obke loenqgu atlole yc onomaincdts op olitics. Among
manyo theIrd si,s cuss qsuuehcs atsti hofeno sl lowing:
Who gaek tisd neyt rfaonrs plantation?
•
Whoi sa dmitttose edl teicvceo llse?g e
•
Whoi ss elecftolerad y offs?
•
Whoi sc hosfeonr misleirtvaircye ?
•
Whoi sa llowteoad d opcthd irlen?
•
Who shbaeal lll owteoid m mirga?t e
•
Yeta,l thotuhgehis ses uweosu lsde etmob e poafer ct oniocms
as weolflp oalsi ticse,c onneoitmthiheceo rnr oypr o litsiicceanlc e
hamsu hct o saabyo utthe m.Ih astteosn a y tihnoa ntes entshei s
isab iotfa ne xaggenr.Ta hteii ossues diisntc hubeso soehkda ve
indebeede enx tenseixvaemliynb eye dc onomipsotlsi,ts iicceanl-
1
2 locajlu stice
tisatnsds, c holfarroosmt ehrd iispcleisnB.u t pmyo intt hiast
thehraev bee evni rtunaoal tltye mtpost tsu dtyhwe h olrea ngoef
questoifto hnkisis n adn,dt od evealc oopn cepatnudta hle otriaecl
framewotrodk e rsicaben d explaiinns thiotawul tlioogcnoasot des
andb urdseN.no r hpahviesl oophberesem nu chc oncerwnietdh
thneo rmataisvpeeo cftt sh eisses uexsc-eepotn,c aeg aionn,a
case-byb-acsaises .
If intdh inse glpeucztnz glT.ih el icfhe ancoefts h ec itiizne n
modrne sociedtoni oedtse peenxdlc usivoenml ayr kcehoti coers
ong ovnemrentdaelc iss.iTo oan ni ncreaesxitnegtn hte,ay l so
depeonnda lolactiomnasd eb yr elataivuetnlooym osu insut­it
tionsb,e ginnwiintagh d missoirno onn admins tsoin ourrsye
schoaonlde ndiwnigt ahd missoirno onn adsmiiostnon urnsgi
homeOsn.ec oulwdr itthefe ci tiobniaolg raopfaht yy pailcc ietinz,
tod epihciltsi afses hapbeyds ucecssievnec ousnw tietrihsn itt­u
tiotnhsah ta vteh peo wetroa ccoorrdd e nhyi mt hsec argcoedo s
· thahtes ee.kM sanyo ft heesnec ounatrerere sl atiinvseniligyf i­
cnatA.l thomuygl hi ifasef cftedeb yt hdee icsioofmn y u nirvseity
toa lloordt e nmye a p arksinpgae c,t hies siushe a rdalv yi tonale .
Otheern cournsdt eecimdaet toefrls i afen dd eatshu,hc ast he
allonco afst ciaormceed irceaslo uarncde sit nhdeu icotinn tmoii l­
trya serevi inwc armte.iB et hies susemsa olrlb igt,h seu mt toal
ofa lsluc hd ecinssci aonr ivtahlme a rkaentd t hes taitnet heir
imoprntcafe osrh anpgio ulr ivTehse.dy e serIvt eh,i nnko, e lss
carelfc ounsirdaeotni.
InC hapt2e,Irs haelxlp lianim no rdee tatihlie s ssut ehtaf all
undetrh hee adoifn"g l ojcsuatlei .cS"o mree mkasrm ayb eu sfeul
att Ih"sp mnt·h,o wevecron,c enrgne iahc oft htew oc entlt remars,
"lcoa"la nd" jsutei".c
Ic aenx plwahianItm eabny " laolcb"y s ayisnogem thgia nbuot
t.h ree altnio oft Ihsm" onogarph tot hree asrecphr oJm·e Cwth· ih c I·t
Ise mbdede· Ad f e wy earasg oI,s eotu tto s tuda· yl laho.vec p rca-
ti. cse. theres ceto rosr a,sI s haolflnt ceatlhle ma reonfaA sme n· -
cna smo ceiyt·· h e lat 'he d u c.ao hna,n dw orkE.v e'n tuta- hlefl oyuc,s
beIay coafm sfe.En aa hcroo rweft·r e h0 rs agae rn nter aa fsna slpnlltod.aaw.i ts 'f l cfooeenplrg n.leean n cdtim.·s sp ia islnO,e·dpnJ· r bO-o -
ced urefso sre e.lci tgn re·ci· ei nptosfg oodasn db urdse.Nn edeI · S
censutrt dea1 nt m. sta l locoo alectglge'ioa ngrndan s sef.o r n zr.ttw ry.a psnlensaltteiacntw'gimo orenkri eifnarot dslr m a· ti fy·ts gfom.
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