INTRODUCTION
This essay will explain to what extent should the emphasis of recognition or redistribution be on achieving a just society. This essay will begin by explaining how both redistribution and recognition are important and they need to be considered together. Emphasis needs to be on both recognition and redistribution in order to get a just society, one cannot be considered without the other. In relation to this, this essay will then be followed by explaining what recognition and redistribution are. This will then be followed by explaining what equality is, as that is what we are trying to achieve in society. Furthermore, this essay then moves on to explain what groups are misrecognised in society and face inequalities in their everyday lives. This is then followed by explaining in detail how disabled people were misrecognised in society and faced major inequalities. Furthermore, this essay then explains what redistribution is and how redistribution helps to achieve a just society by trying to keep people out of poverty.
MAIN BODY
In order to get a just society, recognition and redistribution need to be considered together. If we had a just society there would be equality among citizens. In order to get equality we need to consider recognition and redistribution together. Fraser and Honneth (2003) argue that "Ronald Dworkin developed sophisticated theories of distributive justice. Seeking to synthesise the traditional liberal emphasis on individual liberty with the egalitarianism of social democracy, they propounded new conceptions of justice that could justify socio – economic redistribution (Fraser et al., 2013, p.10). In relation to this, Fraser and Honneth (2003) argues that "the term recognition, in contrast, comes from Hegelian philosophy, specifically the phenomenology of consciousness. In this tradition, recognition designates an ideal reciprocal relation between subjects in which each sees the other as its equal and also as separate from it" (Fraser et al., 2003, p.10). Furthermore, "if social policy developments in the area of poverty and inequality are considered central to the notion of redistribution then the emergence of more sustained attention to issues of discrimination and exclusion highlight the relevance of the concept of recognition for social policy discourse" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.74). This essay will now explain why recognition and redistribution need to be considered together in order to achieve a just society.
Nancy Fraser (2004) argues "that aspiration is fundamental to justice and cannot be satisfied by the politics or redistribution alone. What is required, therefore, is a politics of recognition that aims at establishing status equality, not validating group identity" (Dahl, 2004). In order to get a just society, there should be equality among citizens. Furthermore, in order to get a just society, we need emphasis on recognition just as much as redistribution. We need to recognise that there are groups in society that get discriminated and marginalised against. We also need redistribution because we need to make sure that no one is living in poverty. That's why the emphasis needs to be on both recognition and redistribution. If one of these is emphasised more than the other then inequalities will still exist, but if these are took into consideration together there is more of a chance of eliminating inequalities in society. As a result, this should lead to more of a just or equal society. We are trying to achieve equality for everyone, we need to remember that there are many types of equality.
Equality
These types of equality are equal worth, complex equality, equality of opportunity, equality of outcome, equity and social justice (Geoffrey, 2015). Equal worth derived from common humanity. Complex equality is based on income, political power and access. An example of equality of opportunity is when your race and gender should not go against you, for example when applying for a job. Considine and Dukelow (2009) explains "the most well-known substantive formulation of equality of opportunity is John Rawl's notion of 'equality of fair opportunity'. This prevails when any individuals who have the same native talent and the same ambition will have the same prospects of success in competition that determine who gets positions that generate superior benefits for their occupants" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p. 290). Equity is about treating people fair but different in order to be equal.
Recognition
Taylor and Nancy Fraser were interested in recognition based inequalities. Taylor was concerned with the recognition of identities and how identities are shaped by recognition and misrecognition. There are many groups in society that face inequalities. One of these groups that will be explained is, the inequalities faced by people who have disabilities. According to Considine and Dukelow (2009) "institutionalisation, segregation and the widespread neglect of the rights of people with disabilities throughout the nineteenth and most of the twentieth century represent a most salient illustration of how the social construction of difference can have massive implications for the lives and well – being of different social groups" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.391). This essay will now explain how some groups in society do not have their rights recognised. Until we get recognition of these rights we will not have an equal or just society.
In the past, the rights of people who had disabilities were not recognised. Considine and Dukelow (2009) argues that the social model of disability contributes to societies inability to give any recognition to people with disability. Considine and Dukelow (2009) then go on to explain that "the lack of appropriate design of buildings and other public spaces, which impede access, or fail to provide appropriate facilities for people with disabilities, is but one simple illustration of how society can fail to take account of differing needs and thus contribute to the exclusion of people with disabilities" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.392). Considine and Dukelow (2009) explain that in the past people with disabilities faced inequality and misrecognition as they were not allowed to attend a mainstream school. Currently, people with disabilities still face barriers in society. The type of equality that people with disabilities need to be shown is equity, this is when you treat people fair but different in order to be equal. According to Considine and Dukelow (2009) "given the foregoing, it not surprising that concerns about social exclusion experienced by people with disabilities continue to be relevant.
The findings from the National Disability Authority (2005, p. 96) report suggest that in Ireland people with disabilities live unequal lives and are at higher risk of social exclusion compared to others" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.399). People with disabilities face major discrimination. Considine and Dukelow (2009) explain "the findings of an OECD (2008c) study confirm that the employment rates of people with disabilities in Ireland are among the lowest in the OECD. Only approximately one in three persons with a disability is in employment; dependence on long term disability benefits has increased; and the incidence of poverty is two to three times higher than for the population at large" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.399). This shows that people with disabilities are not been fully recognised and that they face inequalities in everyday life.
Even though minority groups face these inequalities and it is still a major issue policies especially in relation to social exclusion have advanced. One of these policies was "the establishment of the Equality Authority in 1999 represents another step in improving the recognition and protection of individuals and social groups in Ireland" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.75). In relation to this one of the major policies to come from this was the equality agenda, "this legislation now prohibits discrimination (in the provision of goods and services, employment, training, advertising, collective agreements and other opportunities to which the public generally has access) on nine grounds: gender, marital status, sexual orientation, family status, disability, age, race, religion and membership of the Travelling Community" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.75).
By not recognising peoples identities there could be major consequences for society. By not recognising peoples identities this could lead to oppression, violence, exploitation, marginalisation, powerlessness, cultural dominance, discrimination and oppression could also lead to hate crimes (Cook, 2015). One way that minority groups could be discriminated against is in the workplace. Considine and Dukelow (2009) argue that "in general, migrants fare less well than Irish nationals when it comes to levels of pay, unemployment levels, access to managerial occupations, and in relation to discrimination experienced when looking for work and in work" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.415).
Redistribution
In relation to redistribution, this is still a problem in current society. Societies with high inequality levels have high poverty levels. According to Fraser and Honneth (2003) "the underlying premise, shared by both authors, is that an adequate understanding of justice must encompass at least two sets of concerns: those cast in the Fordist era as struggles over distribution and those often cast today as struggles for recognition. We also agree that one familiar account of the relation between them is inadequate both of us reject the economist view that would reduce recognition to a mere epiphenomenon of distribution" (Fraser et al., 2003, p.2). According to Considine and Dukelow (2009) "social security provision involve various forms of redistribution that are an expression that are an expression of our values as a society and our commitment to social and economic justice.' Money collected through taxation and social insurance contributions gets distributed in the form of unemployment payments, pensions, maternity benefits etc" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.197). One of reasons for social security is to keep people living above the poverty line. In relation to this, there is still struggles with redistribution in current society. Cook (2015) argues that some progress has been made in relation to trying to eliminate poverty. He explains that strategies have been put in place to try and to try and eliminate poverty. The strategies that he mentions are strategies such as, the national action plan on social inclusion 07-16. The overall goal here was to reduce the number of those experiencing consistent poverty to between 2% and 4% by 2012 with aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016 (Cook, 2015). There are many groups that are vulnerable to poverty, some of these groups are children, older people, disabled people, single parents, travellers, migrants asylum seekers and refugees (Cook, 2015). There is still inequalities that exist in relation to redistribution as there is always people who will have lot more than others and hierarchies. There has been procedures put in place to try eliminate this, as "it recommended the broadening of the insurance base together with the enhancement of means – tested schemes, to respond to those in greatest poverty and to address the gap or hierarchy between those treated most generously in the social security system (old age pensioners and windows) and those treated the most parsimoniously (the unemployed and those claiming supplementary welfare allowance" (Considine and Dukelow, 2009, p.215).
In order to get rid of the inequality that is in rich countries such as Ireland we need to have a collective response. An example of this is that we need floors and ceilings. What is meant by floor is that this is a certain amount that those people are not allowed to fall below. This is another way to prevent people from ending up in poverty. What is meant by ceiling is that you should not be allowed to earn above a certain amount, an example of this would be millionaires.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion this essay explained how recognition and redistribution need to be considered together in order to achieve a just society. If only one was emphasised on more than the other inequalities would still exist. This essay begins by explaining what recognition and redistribution are and how they need to be considered together in other to achieve a just society. This then followed by explaining what equality is. This essay also explains that there are some groups in society who face many inequalities. In relation to this, this essay explains how disabled people were a misrecognised in society and faced inequalities in their everyday lives. Furthermore, this essay then goes on to explain how redistribution is needed in order to achieve a just society as redistribution can help people avoid living in poverty.
Bibliography
Books:
• Considine, M. and Dukelow, F. (2009) Irish social policy. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.
• Fraser, N., Honneth, A., Golb, J., Ingram, J and Wilke, C. (2003) Redistribution or recognition? A Politicalphilosophical exchange; Trans. By Joel Golb. LONDON: Verso Books.
Journal Article:
• Dahl, H. M. (2004) 'Recognition, redistribution and representation in capitalist global society: An interview with Nancy Fraser', Acta Sociologica, 47(4), pp.374-382. doi: 10.1177/0001699304048671.