2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays
Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and John Rawls’ Theory of Justice
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Essentially, Australia operates under both a Randian and Rawlsian political theory. Due
to an increased amount of government power in a mixed market system it allows
governments to tax individuals to redistribute income. These ideas are all present in
Rawls’ Theory of Justice. This taxation system allows the Australian Government to
create social welfare policies that reduce inequality by offering access to education,
universal healthcare and social welfare payments. 29 In respect to the Gini ratio Australia
places 56 th for income equality with a score of 35.6. 30 (Appendix 2)
Comparative Analysis: Objectivism and Theory of Justice
Through the comparison of all three nation states it can be determined that Australia
acts as the manifestation of the middle ground. Evidently, Australia values social rights
with its effective implementation of a social welfare system. Australia also benefits
from its emphasis on the rights of the individual as its mixed market, capitalist allows
an efficacious taxation system. Australia’s status as a middle ground country can be
expressed by its two biggest political parties; Labour and Liberal that values both Rawls
and Rand respectively. Comparatively, the Norwegian government clearly values social
rights over individual rights, represented by Norway having the eigth lowest income
inequality. Hence, Norway’s policies are in line with the Rawlsian position on social
justice. In contrast, the United States social contract theory is visibly based on the
Randian school of thought. The US clearly accentuates that the individual’s rights are
more important than social rights. Patently, the Australian government has evaluated
29 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017. Australia's welfare 2017: in brief. [Online] 30 Index Mundi, 2019. Gini Index. [Online]
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