An explanation of Pogge, Thomas "What is Global Justice?" (2008)

1. What is Global Justice?
An explanation of the additional reading assignment
Pogge, Thomas. "What is Global Justice?" (2008).

2. Sovereignty
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Sovereignty is the complete
autonomous authority of a state
to govern within designated
boarders. Recognition of the
authority is remanded by
adjoining boarders and that of the
global community.

3. Internal Sovereignty
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• Internal Sovereignty, as discussed by
Thomas Pogge, is the National
Government who interacts with its
citizens, corporations, and associations.
• They are uniquely important actors because of
their special power and authority.
• Intranational, one of the 2 responsibilities of a
state, deals with domestic affairs.

4. External
Sovereignty
• The government is the state,
recognized as entitled to act in its
name.
• International is the responsibility
and authority of a state to interact
with its neighbors
• And the global community
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5. Levels of Analysis
Are there 3 levels of analysis?
• Individual – Leader & Citizens
• State – Autonomous Authority
• Global – Neighbors & World
• If governments are influenced by the
same actors …
• If they make their decision as an Internal
and External Sovereign …
• Then the State is both the Internal and
External Sovereign

6. Erosion of
Sovereignty
• Since World War II, global
interdependence is prominent.
• States are interconnected
through trade, economics,
environment, and human
rights.
• A single State can no longer
stand alone but must rely on
others for protection & survival.
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7. Instructional Moral Analysis
• Morals or principles of right and wrong are given to us from an
institution.
• Morals have action and they have interaction.
• It is not that a child is hungry (action) but the circumstances that
caused the child to be hungry (interaction).
• Thus, Interactional Moral Analysis is the causation of the incident.
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8. Interactional Moral Analysis
• The lesser developed State raised the taxes of
its citizens and provided tax incentives to
MNCs.
• The tax revenue from personal income was
lower than projected and hence, social
programs for the impoverished were cut.
• A child went hungry.
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9. Globalization
 Globalization is action and interaction between intranational and
international realms
 Global Justice is an ‘Institutional Moral’ of a Social Construct
 Global issues are a global problem
 NOT a global issue of a State problem

10. The State
Dilemma
A State has internal and external responsibilities.
When we think of the State as an independent
government, it will never be an actor of the global world
and hence not actionable by the global community
But States need the economic resources of the Global
Community
Therefore States are a Global Member and not an
independent government.

11. Global Justice
State Governments are
International Actors and a
Member of the Global
Community
The State is morally
responsible for all citizens of
the global community and the
global environment.
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12. Music by Yiruma – River Flows in You performed by Rousseau
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPBCbTZWnq0>
Pictures are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
PowerPoint by Cynthia Breneman, Professor of Political Science,
Tri-County Technical College, Pendleton, South Carolina
Pogge, Thomas. "What is Global Justice?" Revista de Economia
Institcional Vol. 10.No. 19 (2008): 1-12. Document.
<https://globaljustice.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/WhatIsGlobalJ
ustice.pdf>.
Thank you for watching