Books and reports: Equity as a Social Goal 1 March 2000, Cathy Buchanan and Peter Hartley	View PDF
Equity as a Social Goal seeks to clarify the notion of equity, or fairness, as a goal of public policy. The authors, Cathy Buchanan and Peter Hartley, consider what the goals of public policy ought to be, given the limitations of human nature and real-world social institutions. They argue that both liberty and efficiency must be included among our social goals. While horizontal equity, or non-discriminatory treatment of equals, is desirable, attempting to equalise income or material wealth is misguided. Neither income nor wealth is a good indicator of personal well-being. Redistributing to equalise income or wealth could therefore exacerbate inequality in living standards. Government redistribution aimed at achieving more equal outcomes also compromises both liberty and efficiency and does little to help those truly in need. Welfare policy based on compassion, rather than reducing measured inequality, allows society to help the less fortunate, while preserving the liberties and opportunities of all. Equity as a Social Goal concludes that preserving liberty and efficiency requires us to safeguard the right of all people to use their labour and property as they see fit. A proper balance among liberty, efficiency and equity can be achieved by ensuring that each person is equal before the law, by promulgating a belief in the power and duty of families and charities to assist those in need, and by creating a limited government welfare programme to aid people who fail to receive assistance elsewhere.