http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
justice, equality, and the right to bequeath
Daniel Halliday examines the moral grounding of the right to bequeath or transfer wealth. He engages with contemporary concerns about wealth inequality, class hierarchy and taxation, while also drawing on the history of the egalitarian, utilitarian and liberal traditions in political philosophy. He presents an egalitarian case for restricting inherited wealth, arguing that unrestricted inheritance is unjust to the extent that it enables and enhances the intergenerational replication of inequality. Here, inequality is understood in a group-based sense. The unjust effects of inheritance are principally in its tendency to concentrate certain opportunities into certain groups. This results in what Halliday describes as 'economic segregation.' He defends a specific proposal about how to tax inherited wealth. Roughly, inheritance should be taxed more heavily when it comes from old money.
Introduction -- Inheritance in early liberal writings -- The utilitarian case against iterated bequests -- Inheritance and luck -- Inequality and economic segregation -- Inheritance and the intergenerational replication of inequality -- Libertarianisms -- Taxation.
Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-228) and indexes.