Does limitarianism require the imposition of a maximum wage?

Details

Supervisors

Gosseries, Axel

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enThis master's thesis explores the compatibility and necessity of a maximum wage policy within a limitarian framework by defining limitarianism as the idea of setting a limit on the amount of wealth an individual can hold. The paper argues that limitarianism should consider the maximum wage question because of the strong link between income and wealth accumulation. The thesis examines the societal impacts of a maximum wage, including its effects on well-being and economic prosperity, and compares limitarianism to other theories of distributive justice such as egalitarianism and sufficientarianism. It then proposes and evaluates two types of maximum wage policies: a confiscatory tax policy and a wage ratio policy. The conclusion is that while a maximum wage policy alone is not sufficient to prevent all forms of wealth accumulation (e.g. inheritance), it could be a required component for limitarianism if the goal is to create sustainable societal structures that prevent the accumulation of extreme wealth in the first place.