Answer to Question #196217 in Macroeconomics for Nolo

Question

Briefly explain how Nozick’s entitlement theory can be applied to the land issue in South Africa.

Answer 1

According to the “entitlement” theory of justice, the allocation of holdings in a community is fair if (and only if) everybody in that society is entitled to what he has. Anyone who obtained what he has by these means, according to Nozick, is morally entitled to it.

The land issue is South Africa has been a problem for a long time. There have been claims of inequality in distribution of this valuable natural resource. As per a 2017 government audit, white people own 72% of the country's private farmland, despite making up just 9% of the population. According to the white Afrikaner interest group AfriForum, the state owns 24 percent of South African territory, while black people own 34.5 percent.

Nozick theory can be applied in two ways to address the issue:

Nozick believes that every distribution of "holdings," as he refers to them, is only if (and only if) it is the product of a just distribution by valid means.

1. The first legal means is the possession of the land that is not yours in cases where the possession is not harmful to others is one legal process.

2. A mutual transfer of ownership of holdings to someone else is a second option.

3. The rectification of historical injustices in the purchase or sale of holdings is a third option. This can be applied in south Africa to rectify the past injustices and ensure equal distribution