The need for further exploration of the economic injustice of unemployment should be obvious. Throughout Europe, unemployment remains at historically high rates and is beginning to put critical pressure on our political institutions. Despite the obvious importance of this problem, however, there has been a curious lack of attention paid to unemployment by contemporary non-Marxist political philosophers. Non-Marxists typically view unemployment as a technical matter, the kind of problem best left to economists and not political philosophers. But I think this is a mistake. Work is a major part of social life, and is often critical to an individual's sense of identity and self-respect. The unemployed are accordingly missing out on a great deal more than economic benefits. Those who are unemployed have something to complain about, even if we do not let them starve, and the institutions that represent us may accordingly have a moral obligation to take action.
