Arbeit gerecht verteilt?

Does the Regulation of the labor market accord with the ideals of social justice? This is the question that lies at the core of this volume The author examines the evolution of the labor market in Germany since the early 1990s until present times with regard to modern theories of social justice. Along with the discussion of the regulation of labor relations, it examines the development of the low-paid work sector as well as the regulation of wages - in particular the regulation of minimum wage - from the view of social justice theories. The thesis focuses on John Rawls’ theory of justice and Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach. Some main questions that are analyzed include the notion of labor relations as a social resource that is subject to distribution by regulation, an analysis of just distribution according to Rawls’ second principle of justice and according to Sen’s notion of freedom, capabilities and functionings, as relevant to the labor market.