A Philosophical Examination of Social Justice and Child Poverty

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vii

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2. Introduction: Philosophy and Child Poverty

   • Gottfried Schweiger, Gunter Graf

   Pages 1-14Open Access

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3. Social Justice for Children — A Capability Approach

   • Gottfried Schweiger, Gunter Graf

   Pages 15-66Open Access

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4. The Injustice of Child Poverty

   • Gottfried Schweiger, Gunter Graf

   Pages 67-117Open Access

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5. Responsibilities for Children in Poverty

   • Gottfried Schweiger, Gunter Graf

   Pages 118-161Open Access

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6. Advancing Our Approach to Global Justice for Children

   • Gottfried Schweiger, Gunter Graf

   Pages 162-175Open Access

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7. Back Matter

   Pages 176-193

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This book is open access under a CCBY license. This book investigates child poverty from a philosophical perspective. It identifies the injustices of child poverty, relates them to the well-being of children, and discusses who has a moral responsibility to secure social justice for children. 

• Child Poverty
• Social Justice
• Child Well-Being
• Moral Responsibilities
• Capability Approach
• child poverty
• justice
• morality
• philosophy
• poverty
• responsibility
• social justice
• development aid

“The book by Schweiger and Graf is an inspiring reading for all those interested in the topic of child poverty. Its main virtues are: first, it applies the CA to the specific situation of children, which is still a theoretically underdeveloped domain in the theory of justice. Secondly, it links the theory of justice to child poverty.” (Alexander Bagattini, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, March, 2018)

“Those engaged in debates about child poverty and social justice will find Gottfried Schweiger and Gunter Graf’s book useful and compelling. … This book is a comprehensive and engaging exploration of a range of issues relating to the well-being of children. Several features of the book are noteworthy. … This book is recommended reading for scholars and practitioners wishing to strengthen their knowledge and capacity to tackle child poverty across the globe.” (Mario Biggeri, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Vol. 18 (3), 2017)

“I hope it will be clear that Schweiger and Graf's book is full of important insights and information. It provides a comprehensive theory of child poverty with very strong implications for political practice and thereby exemplifies a very successful blend of political philosophy and social science. Moreover, it provides a fertile ground for further philosophical and social scientific debate. It is simply a must read for everyone interested in the problem of child poverty.” (Christian Neuhäuser, Ethical Perspectives, Vol. 23 (4), 2016)

“Book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of child poverty and the resources within the Capability Approach (CA) to analyse the ways in which poverty disadvantages children. As they note, capability theorists have not, until relatively recently, devoted much attention to how the capability theory might be developed and extended to children. Schweiger and Graf helpfully explore how capability theory can be sensitive to the special vulnerabilities that children exhibit as well as to their status as developing agents.” (Colin Macleod, Ethical Perspectives, Vol. 23 (4), 2016)

“Schweiger and Graf's A Philosophical Examination of Social Justice and Child Poverty breaks new ground and fills an important gap in the literature. The book provides us with a much needed platform for further discussions about the challenges of child poverty in our world today and about how justice theorising can respond.” (Krushil Watene, Ethical Perspectives, Vol. 23 (4), 2016)

• Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria

  Gottfried Schweiger, Gunter Graf

• International Research Centre for Social and Ethical Questions, Salzburg, Austria

  Gunter Graf

Gunter Graf is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research, where he works in the project group for 'Social Justice and Child Poverty'. He is also a Research Fellow at the International Research Centre for Social and Ethical Questions in Salzburg. He mainly works in political and social philosophy, with a focus on the capability approach and its relation to poverty and children.

Gottfried Schweiger works at the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, where he is the principal investigator of the project 'Social Justice and Child Poverty' funded by the Austrian Science Fund. His main areas of interest and research are social and political philosophy.

Policies and ethics