The idea of predistribution has the potential to offer a valuable and distinctive approach to political philosophers, political scientists, and economists, in thinking about social justice and the creation of more egalitarian economies. It is also an idea that has drawn the interest of politicians of the left and centre-left, promising an alternative to traditional forms of social democracy. But the idea of predistribution is not well understood, and stands in need of elucidation. This article explores ways of drawing the conceptual and normative distinction between predistribution and redistribution, examining those general categories when considering the roles of public services and fiscal transfers, and looking at the ways in which government policies can empower and disempower different individuals and groups within the economy. This article argues that the most initially plausible and common-sensical ways of drawing the distinction between predistributive and redistributive public policies collapse when put under analytical pressure. It concludes that the distinction between predistribution and redistribution is best seen in terms of the aims or effects of policies rather than a deeper division of policy types, and argues that, once seen in those terms, predistribution is a central concern of social justice.

中文翻译：

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权力、预分配和社会正义

预分配的理念有可能为政治哲学家、政治科学家和经济学家提供一种有价值且独特的方法，以思考社会正义和创造更平等的经济。这也是一个引起左翼和中左翼政客的兴趣的想法，有望替代传统的社会民主形式。但是预分配的概念并没有得到很好的理解，需要加以阐明。本文探讨了在概念上和规范上区分预分配和再分配的方法，在考虑公共服务和财政转移支付的作用时检查这些一般类别，并研究政府政策可以赋予和剥夺不同个人和群体权力的方式。经济。本文认为，在分析压力下，区分预分配和再分配公共政策的最初最合理和最符合常识的方法会崩溃。它得出的结论是，最好从政策的目标或效果的角度来区分预分配和再分配，而不是从更深层次的政策类型划分来看，并认为，一旦从这些方面来看，预分配就是社会正义的核心问题。