The Political Recognition of Needs

This chapter discusses the political recognition of needs and the role of expertise in allocation decisions. It reviews three aspects of the political recognition of needs: First, it presents two alternative politico-economic decision frameworks for studying the behavioral consequences of need-based justice. Second, it discusses the scope and differentiation of the principle of need-based justice. Specifically, it explores the conditions under which voters’ social identity may lead to an exclusive or inclusive application of the need principle. Third, this chapter will elaborate on the role of expertise in the political recognition and collective satisfaction of needs. Expertise can either help with problem-solving by objectifying needs or provide some moral authority that increases the chances of a collectively agreed allocation satisfying needs. The final section summarizes the main findings and discusses their implications for developing a concise theory of need-based justice.