Equality versus solidarity.

Spicker, Paul

Abstract

Although equality and solidarity are often thought of as constituent parts of the same ideological framework, there are inconsistencies between them. Both concepts refer to a range of meanings: equality can refer to equal treatment, opportunity or result, and solidarity, a term which is of growing influence in European social policy, can refer to mutual aid or group cohesion. Despite the close association of these ideas in theory, there is a tension between them, and they offer prescriptions for policy which are likely to conflict. British pensions policy is taken as an illustration; the case for solidaristic redistribution has had to be balanced against that for egalitarian policies, with some unpredictable results. The concepts of equality and solidarity can be reconciled, but this depends on the application of a set of limiting interpretations; they can just as easily be represented as incompatible.

Citation

SPICKER, P. 1992. Equality versus solidarity. Government and opposition [online], 27(1), pages 66-77. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.1992.tb00767.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 31, 1992
• Online Publication Date: Jan 31, 1992
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 1992
• Deposit Date: Sep 12, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 12, 2013
• Journal: Government and opposition
• Print ISSN: 0017-257X
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-7053
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 66-77
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.1992.tb00767.x
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/860
• Contract Date: Sep 12, 2013