'Credit and Distributive Justice' by Marco Meyer
8 October 2024, 15:00 CET
Credit and Distributive Justice
by
Marco Meyer
8 October 2024, 15:00 CET
Marco Meyer (University of Hamburg), Credit and Distributive Justice
Interviewer: Lisa Warenski (CUNY Graduate Center and University of Connecticut)
In this interview, Marco argues that the credit system may improve distributive justice, but only indirectly, via job creation and government spending. The reason for this is that cheap credit on commercial terms is only available to people in the upper half of the wealth distribution. By contrast, the forms of credit available more widely are too expensive to make taking out credit a realistic option to escape poverty for most. However, credit can improve distributive justice indirectly, if entrepreneurs and corporations borrow for purposes that create jobs, or states spend borrowed funds on programs that address poverty or inequality. For these reasons, Marco suggests that improving access to credit is less important from the perspective of distributive justice than how the credit system interacts with the tax system and labor laws.
A debate follows the interview.
In conversation: Exploring the Philosophy of Money and Finance
Interviews with contributing authors of The Philosophy of Money and Finance (OUP, 2024)
In conversation is organized by Phinance, the Philosophy & Finance Network
15:00 Marco Meyer (University of Hamburg) Credit and Distributive Justice
Interviewer: Lisa Warenski (CUNY Graduate Center)
chair: Emiliano Ippoliti (Sapienza University of Rome)
organization: Emiliano Ippoliti (Sapienza); Lisa Warenski (CUNY Graduate Center and University of Connecticut); Joakim Sandberg (University of Gothenburg)
‘In Conversation: Exploring the Philosophy of Money and Finance’ is a series of meetings that delve into the relationship between philosophy, money, and finance. Each interview is followed by a live debate, encouraging active audience participation. The sessions (interview plus debate) are 30 minutes long.