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Inadequate for democracy: How (not) to distribute education

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  • Alexandra Oprea

    (170491The Australian National University, Australia)

Abstract

There is widespread agreement among philosophers and legal scholars that the distribution of educational resources in the US is unjust, but little agreement about why. An increasingly prominent view posits a sufficientarian standard based on the requirements of democratic citizenship. This view, which I refer to as democratic sufficientarianism, argues that inequalities in educational resources or opportunities above the threshold required for democratic citizenship are morally unobjectionable if and only if all children are provided with an education sufficient to meet those demands. In the article, I argue that democratic sufficientarianism faces a democratic education dilemma. Either the philosopher specifies a precise and demanding threshold with antidemocratic implications, or she insists upon democratic equality irrespective of educational achievements, thereby undercutting the search for anything but a minimal educational threshold. As an alternative, I defend a new sufficientarian standard that is reflexive, education-specific, and democracy-compatible. This reflexive sufficientarian standard can act as a guide to democratic deliberation about education policy. The article also sketches possibilities for litigation on behalf of children who have received insufficient primary education.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexandra Oprea, 2020. "Inadequate for democracy: How (not) to distribute education," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 19(4), pages 343-365, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:19:y:2020:i:4:p:343-365
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X20924667
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Debra Satz, 2008. "Equality, Adequacy, and Educational Policy," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 3(4), pages 424-443, October.
    2. Elizabeth Anderson, 2014. "Reply to Critics of The Imperative of Integration," Political Studies Review, Political Studies Association, vol. 12(3), pages 376-382, September.
    3. Harry Brighouse & Adam Swift, 2008. "Putting Educational Equality in Its Place," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 3(4), pages 444-466, October.
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