Imposing Values: Liberalism and Regulation

by N. Scott Arnold

Overview

A major question for liberal politics and liberal political theory concerns the proper scope of government. Liberalism has always favored limited government, but there has been wide-ranging dispute among liberals about just how extensive the scope of government should be. Included in this dispute are questions about the extent of state ownership of the means of production, redistribution of wealth and income through the tax code and transfer programs, and the extent of government regulation.

One of N. Scott Arnold's goals is to give an accurate characterization of both modern liberalism and classical liberalism, explaining along the way why libertarianism is not the only form that classical liberalism can take. The main focus of Arnold's book, however, concerns regulation—specifically, the modern liberal regulatory agenda as it has taken shape in contemporary American society. This is the set of regulatory regimes favored by all modern liberals and opposed by all classical liberals. It includes contemporary employment law in all its manifestations, health and safety regulation, and land use regulation. The heart of the book consists of a systematic evaluation of arguments for and against all the items on this agenda. It turns out that there are good arguments on both sides for most of these regulatory regimes. Because of this, and because someone's vision of the proper scope of government will ultimately prevail, some procedural requirements that all liberals could agree to must be satisfied for one side to impose legitimately its values on the polity at large. These procedural requirements are identified, argued for, and then applied to the elements of the modern liberal regulatory agenda. Arnold argues that many, though not all, of these elements have been illegitimately imposed on American society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199795680
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/05/2011
Series:	Oxford Political Philosophy
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	504
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

N. Scott Arnold is Professor of Philosophy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, author of The Philosophy and Economics of Market Socialism.

Table of Contents

1. Rights, Externalities, and Public Goods
2. Private and Public Property
3. the Nature of Private Property Rights
4. The Modern Liberal Regulatory Agenda
5. Common Ground Arguments
6. Regulatory Public Goods
7. Conversion Arguments: Employment Law
8. Conversion Arguments: Anti-Discrimination Law
9. Conversion Arguments: Health & Safety Regulation
10. Conversion Arguments: Land Use Regulation
11. Imposing Values
12. Applications

Editorial Reviews

"Arnold has established himself as a sober and immensely intelligent spokesperson for classical liberalism. On issue after issue, he captures the essence of the real debate." —David Schmidtz, Department of Philosophy, University of Arizona

"I find this intelligently argued, forceful, and stimulating." —George Klosko, Department of Politics, University of Virginia

From the Publisher