THE PROJECT VOLUME - Chapter 8

Open Cite VOLUME

Publisher:  Pragma Publishing
Online publication date:  December 2023
Chapter DOI:  https://doi.org/10.62483/96402915

How Inequality Influences the Ethical Conflicts Facing Voters

Ludvig Beckman and Alexandru Volacu

ABSTRACT

The aim of this chapter is to highlight the problem of differential privilege in democratic contexts, by developing a range of hypothetical scenarios which illustrate how various kinds of inequalities can give rise to electoral dilemmas for more and less privileged citizens. The chapter begins by outlining some of the key empirical and conceptual discussions regarding (socio-economic) inequality and privilege, and their relevance when it comes to electoral processes and decision-making. Subsequently, it constructs two sets of scenarios that depict voter-centred ethical dilemmas in which the (un)privileged status of the potential voter grounds (at least in part) a pro tanto reason to choose certain alternatives. The first set of scenarios addresses questions of electoral participation, in a range of contexts that include differentially privileged individuals from an economic or epistemic point of view, but also cases where some citizens face disproportional costs for casting a ballot (due to social norms, occupational challenges, intellectual or mobility disadvantages etc.), or where citizens belonging to more discriminated groups (e.g. the LGBTQ+ community) have to choose whether to vote in referendums. The second set of scenarios addresses questions related to how voting is exercised and includes cases involving vote selling by the economically disadvantaged, age differences, caretaking duties, as well as ethical aspects stemming from the value of descriptive representation, particularly when it comes to gender. Drawing on the collection of scenarios offered, the chapter is instrumental in showing how a wide range of inequalities can play an important role in the ethical evaluation of electoral decision-making, following from the (un)privileged status of citizens.

Citation
Beckman, Ludvig, and Alexandru Volacu. 2023. ‘How Inequality Influences the Ethical Conflicts Facing Voters’. In Reconstructing Democracy in Times of Crisis - A Voter-Centred Perspective, ed. Annabelle Lever. Paris: Pragma, 245–66. https://doi.org/10.62483/96402915.
Beckman, L., & Volacu, A. (2023). How Inequality Influences the Ethical Conflicts Facing Voters. In A. Lever (Ed.), Reconstructing Democracy in Times of Crisis—A Voter-Centred Perspective (pp. 245–266). Pragma. https://doi.org/10.62483/96402915
Beckman, Ludvig, and Alexandru Volacu. 2023. ‘How Inequality Influences the Ethical Conflicts Facing Voters’. In Reconstructing Democracy in Times of Crisis - A Voter-Centred Perspective, edited by Annabelle Lever, 245–66. Paris: Pragma. https://doi.org/10.62483/96402915.
Beckman, L. and Volacu, A. (2023) ‘How Inequality Influences the Ethical Conflicts Facing Voters’, in A. Lever (ed.) Reconstructing Democracy in Times of Crisis - A Voter-Centred Perspective. Paris: Pragma, pp. 245–266. Available at: https://doi.org/10.62483/96402915.
Beckman, Ludvig, and Alexandru Volacu, ‘How Inequality Influences the Ethical Conflicts Facing Voters’, in Reconstructing Democracy in Times of Crisis - A Voter-Centred Perspective, ed. by Annabelle Lever (Paris: Pragma, 2023), pp. 245–66 <https://doi.org/10.62483/96402915>
Beckman, Ludvig, and Alexandru Volacu. ‘How Inequality Influences the Ethical Conflicts Facing Voters’. Reconstructing Democracy in Times of Crisis - A Voter-Centred Perspective, edited by Annabelle Lever, Pragma, 2023, pp. 245–66, https://doi.org/10.62483/96402915.
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