Bio:

Simone Sepe

Professor’s Sepe areas of expertise include business organizations, corporate finance, contract theory, law and economics, law and philosophy, and empirical methods. His main scholarship focuses on theoretical and empirical problems related to corporate governance, although he has recently expanded his research interest to contract law, the theory of institutions, and political philosophy. He holds doctoral degrees in both law and economics. Professor Sepe practiced banking and finance law at Clifford Chance, an international law firm based in London, and worked as an investment banker at Fortress Investment Group in London and New York.

Allen Buchanan

Allen Edward Buchanan (born 1948) is a moral, political and legal philosopher. As of 2022, he held multiple academic positions: Laureate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Arizona, Distinguished Research Fellow at Oxford University, Visiting Professor of the philosophy of international law at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College, London, and James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at Duke University.[1]

Abstract:

In contemporary political philosophy, it is apparently often assumed that the state ought to be the major agent in the pursuit of justice. This assumption—given that “ought” implies “can”—rests on another, namely, that the state can be an effective agent for justice. To justify this assumption, it is necessary to address Marx’s view that, in capitalism, state behavior is disproportionately influenced by the wealthy, who use it to pursue interests that are in opposition to the demands of justice. We identify three mechanisms that can, in combination, mitigate the tendency of the state in capitalism to hinder progress toward justice, but we argue that the extent of the state’s ability to advance justice is presently unknowable.