Nozick on Sen: A reply to Perelli-Minetti

Abstract

Perelli-Minetti argues that Nozick's principle of justice in transfer requires, inter alia, Sen's liberalism condition (L) and is subject to Sen's paradox. It is shown here that a weaker liberalism condition L _W is sufficient for justice in transfer and consistent with Sen's other conditions on the social decision function. The conjunction of conditions L _W, I _P, and N is equivalent to L. It is implausible and perhaps illogical that a society applying Nozick's entitlement theory will impose both I _P and N, and if it does not, then Sen's paradox does not affect Nozick's theory of justice in transfer.