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Hierarchy is a difficulty for theories of equality, and especially those that define equality in relational or social terms. In ideal egalitarian circumstances it seems that hierarchies should not exist. However, a liberal egalitarian defence of some types of hierarchies is common. Hierarchies of esteem have no further consequences than praise or admiration for valued individual features. Hierarchies of status, with differential reward, can, it is often argued, also be justified when they serve a justified social purpose and meet conditions of genuine equality of opportunity. However, group hierarchies remain problematic, and evidence suggests that they are pervasive in human societies above a subsistence level of production. It has also been argued that group hierarchies are impossible to eliminate, and enormous cost is associated with attempting, and failing, to remove them. However, the perspective of 'real-world' political philosophy suggests measures to mitigate group hierarchy, starting with those that are either the easiest to address, the most damaging, or the most consequential.

Poverty is often defined as lacking the financial resources to meet a set of basic needs. Here I consider four questions. First, how is the relevant level of basic needs to be determined? Second, given that the possibility of satisfying basic needs is not solely determined by possession of financial resources, is poverty better understood or measured at least in part in non-financial terms? Third, what, if anything, is owed to people in poverty, and by whom? And finally, what social policies should be favoured in attempting to deal with poverty? The key message is that overcoming poverty is more than meeting needs for food and shelter, but also includes meeting the human needs for a social life and fitting in with what is commonly expected in society (overcoming relative poverty). Out of respect for all, governments have a duty to adopt policies to bring people out of poverty.

Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Fragen, die sich heute in der Agglomeration der Schweiz stellen. Er analysiert die städtische Entwicklungspolitik, die Verkehrspolitik, die Verkehrsplanung sowie die Sozialfrage. Unsere Studie betrifft sechs Städte der deutschen und französischen Schweiz. Es hat sich u.a. bestätigt, daß besonders die Verkehrspolitik sehr unterschiedlich angegangen wird: in der deutschen Schweiz ist sie weiter entwickelt.

Tommie Shelby's Dark Ghettos: Injustice Dissent and Reform is an unusual and highly original endeavor for analytical political philosophy. It is an examination of a central aspect of racial injustice in the contemporary United States. Shelby writes from the standpoint of non-ideal justice, but within a distinctly Rawlsian flavor and conceptual repertoire. Rawls has been criticized for his lack of attention to the topic of race, and for his concentration on ideal theory, but this work shows that Rawls's contribution to the theory of justice can yield dividends well outside its initial range of application. The publication of this book is a significant event in contemporary political philosophy. In addition to its exceptional merit in itself, it can be seen as part of an increasing, and very welcome, movement to broaden the range of topics and concerns that can legitimately be regarded as within the scope of the discipline.

The notion of the social determinants of health is now prominent in international and national health policy discussions. However, action on the social determinants primarily lies outside the sphere of influence of Ministries of Health. Here it is proposed that Ministries of Health use part of their budgets to sponsor initiatives by other government departments that address the social determinants of health, and, in particular, reduce chronic stress or improve individual prospects of healing.

Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Fragen, die sich heute in der Agglomeration der Schweiz stellen. Er analysiert die städtische Entwicklungspolitik, die Verkehrspolitik, die Verkehrsplanung sowie die Sozialfrage. Unsere Studie betrifft sechs Städte der deutschen und französischen Schweiz. Es hat sich u.a. bestätigt, daß besonders die Verkehrspolitik sehr unterschiedlich angegangen wird: in der deutschen Schweiz ist sie weiter entwickelt.

AbstractMeasurement realism, the view that measurement targets quantitative attributes and that not all attributes are quantitative, has come under attack both from metrologists and philosophers. In this paper, I take a close look at two influential arguments against measurement realism: the argument from obsolescence and the argument from coordination. I concede that these arguments do challenge the epistemological position traditionally taken by measurement realists, but argue that the metaphysical core of measurement realism survives the challenge posed by these arguments. This metaphysical core is vital to maintaining a clear and ambitious standard for successful measurement.