Productive justice and compulsory service

• Published in: Ethics & global politics Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 33499 - 7
• Main Author: Sager, Alex
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stockholm Routledge 01-01-2016; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Brain drain; Cartwright, Nancy; Emigration; Forced labor; Human rights; Incentives; Justice; Political science; Shortages; Skilled workers; Wages & salaries; Indonesia
• ISSN: 1654-4951; 1654-6369
• DOI: 10.3402/egp.v9.33499

Since Marx, much of the normative discussion around productive justice has centered on the work conditions and on worker compensation.5 (A paradigmatic topic today is the conditions and wages of workers in international manufacturing.) Nien-He Hsieh's recent survey of justice in production fits squarely in this tradition by calling for liberal egalitarians to more fully articulate criteria for meaningful work and for worker participation (e.g. through workplace democracy).6 Implicit in this approach is that production itself is not a major moral problem, as firms will produce goods when consumers demand them. The section on outcomes reports anecdotal evidence that some compulsory service programs may lead health workers to reside in underserved regions, but the authors admit that 'No rigorous study has systematically compared rural and remote workforce disparities in countries with compulsory service to those in countries that don't have such programs.'9 Compulsory service programs might have the desired effects in some cases but more is needed than the possible efficacy to justify compulsion: the burden of proof rests on those who wish to restrict emigration. [...]when trying to understand how causes will operate, mechanisms matter.11 A single model will not helpfully elucidate a complex, multidimensional goal such as productive justice. [...]Brock's policy recommendation-compulsory service-may very well be at odds with the conditions needed to realize productive justice.