7th Summer School​ in Political Philosophy ​and Public Policy

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in issues at the intersection of political philosophy and public policy. In particular, attention has increasingly turned to the question of what kind of institutions and policies would be needed in order to create a significantly more just society. Following past summer-schools on topics such as a basic income (2013), predistribution and property-owning democracy (2014), the ethics of banking (2015), this year’s summer school will be devoted to the commons. The topic of the “commons” is an expanding issue of interest within academia, where it combines different and complementary disciplines (philosophy, history, law, political science, economy, …). It is also a very important discussion outside academia. The “commons” is a social space where people can enter and leave freely; in which they relate as equals; and in which they work cooperatively, to solve a problem, meet a need, or just enjoy creativity for its own sake. In this school we will explore the ways in which society has a strong responsibility to protect a sufficient commons and to ensure that anyone holding an asset removed from the commons pays compensation to everyone else.