When Race Counts: The Morality of Racial Preference in Britain and America

by John Edwards

Overview

When Race Counts investigates the use of race-conscious practices in social policy in Britain and America. It questions the distinction between affirmative action and preferential treatment, and evaluates the effectiveness of a range of education and employment policies designed to counteract both unintended and direct discrimination against ethnic minorities.

The book uses both empirical and moral analyses to examine the controversial dilemma of whether and in what circumstances preferential treatment may be used as a means of improving the condition of minority groups. John Edwards looks at justifications for overriding the merit principle, particularly in employment, and shows who bears the costs of such a policy, and where the benefits lie. He argues that the merit principle is in itself so flawed that to override it would cause no great damange to justice. He then sets out the requirements of an acceptable policy of minority preference tailored to the disadvantages of specific minority groups.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134907168
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/29/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

John Edwards is Reader in Social Policy at Royal Holloway, University of London. His previous books include Positive Discrimination, Social Justice and Social Policy and The Enterprise Culture and the Inner City, both published by Routledge.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 When race counts; Chapter 2 The nature and varieties of affirmative action; Chapter 3 The logic of affirmative action; Chapter 4 Affirmative action in employment; Chapter 5 The real thing; Chapter 6 Race-conscious practice; Chapter 7 Practice compared; Chapter 8 The moral dilemmas of preference; Chapter 9 Equal opportunities, merits and p References; Chapter 10 Tailored preference;