Abstract:
During the 20th century, Marxism and non-egalitarian or classical liberalism debated the properties of economic reasoning, that is, the way economic institutions value multiple ends. This debate produced an implicit consensus between market socialists and non-egalitarian liberals about democracy. In this consensus, the Rousseau’s general will was replaced by the individual will, and popular sovereignty reflected in consumer sovereignty. This essay uses a Rawlsian perspective to analyze the limits of economic efficiency in a democratic society.