Equality of Opportunity in a European Social Market Economy*. (9th January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Viehoff, Juri
• Other Names: Claassen Rutger guestEditor.; Gerbrandy Anna guestEditor.; Princen Sebastiaan guestEditor.; Segers Mathieu guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Journal of common market studies. Volume 57:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 28
• Page End: 43
• Publication Date: 2019-01-09
• Subjects: equality of opportunity -- justice -- national autonomy -- social market economy -- transnationalism; European Economic Community countries -- Periodicals; European Union countries -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 382.9142
• DOI: 10.1111/jcms.12815
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9886

Abstract

Abstract: This article investigates what role the ideal of equality of opportunity should play in a European social market economy (ESME). After defining 'social market economy' and sketching different conceptions of equality of opportunity, it is argued that a social market economy must implement a substantive version of equality of opportunity. Subsequent sections assess how such a robust version needs adaptation in light of the EU's special nature: first, it assesses the merits of a direct transnational application of interpersonal substantive equality. Second, it considers what the ideal requires in a ESME understood along internationalist lines: even on this account, labour mobility creates tensions between EU citizens' claims to equal prospective chances in a fair cross‐border competition against each state's prerogative of providing the highest level of education to its residents. The concluding section offers some suggestions how we might alleviate this tension between domestic equality of opportunity and national autonomy.