Extreme Wealth, Domination and Democracy : A Neo-Republican Case for Limitarianism

An original contribution to political philosophy making a neo-republican argument for limiting extreme wealth.

In this important discussion of the impact of wealth on the principle of freedom as non-domination, Elena Icardi asks: what philosophical repercussions are there for democracy when wealthy individuals translate their financial resources into political influence? And how can a neo-republican political philosophy justify limiting extreme wealth in the name of democratic values?

Discussing extreme wealth in the context of structural domination, Icardi provides a novel version of neo-republican limitarianism, focusing on how the super-rich structurally dominate politics: both with disproportionate opportunity for political influence, and the capacity to shape social norms and values in their favour. The book first gives a thorough conceptual analysis and normative discussion of plutocracy and non-domination. It then frames neo-republican limitarianism as integral to the idea of a just society, and analyses and compares several fiscal policies (e.g., luxury tax, wealth tax, inheritance tax) as ways to implement such a limit.

With a significant theoretical contribution to neo-republican thinking and a consideration of a philosophy of non-domination as a tool against plutocracy, this book is an essential reading for those interested in studying how political and applied philosophy explore questions around extreme wealth.