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LIBERTARIANISM AND THE STATE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2006

Peter Vallentyne
Peter Vallentyne
Affiliation:
University of Missouri–Columbia
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Abstract

Although Robert Nozick has argued that libertarianism is compatible with the justice of a minimal state—even if does not arise from mutual consent—few have been persuaded. I will outline a different way of establishing that a non-consensual libertarian state can be just. I will show that a state can—with a few important qualifications—justly enforce the rights of citizens, extract payments to cover the costs of such enforcement, redistribute resources to the poor, and invest in infrastructure to overcome market failures.

Type
Research Article
Information
Social Philosophy and Policy , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , January 2007 , pp. 187 - 205
Copyright
© 2007 Social Philosophy and Policy Foundation

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Footnotes

For very helpful comments, I am indebted to Dani Attas, Ellen Frankel Paul, Robert Johnson, Brian Kierland, Mike Otsuka, Eric Roark, and the other contributors to this volume.