Studies in Global Justice Series Editor: Deen K Chatterjee Susan P Murphy Responsibility in an Interconnected World International Assistance, Duty, and Action Studies in Global Justice Volume 13 Series Editor Deen K Chatterjee, University of Utah, U.S.A Editorial Board Elizabeth Ashford, University of St Andrews, U.K Gillian Brock, University of Auckland, New Zealand Thom Brooks, Durham University, U.K Simon Caney, Oxford University, U.K Hiram E Chodosh, President, Claremont McKenna College, U.S.A Jean-Marc Coicaud, Rutgers University, U.S.A Michael Doyle, Columbia University, U.S.A Andreas Follesdal, University of Oslo, Norway Carol Gould, Hunter College, U.S.A Virginia Held, City University of New York, U.S.A Alison Jaggar, University of Colorado, U.S.A Jon Mandle, SUNY, Albany, U.S.A Richard W Miller, Cornell University, U.S.A Sanjay Reddy, The New School for Social Research, U.S.A David Rodin, University of Oxford, U.K Joel H Rosenthal, President, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs Kok-Chor Tan, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A Leif Wenar, King’s College London, U.K Veronique Zanetti, University of Bielefeld, Germany Aims and Scope In today’s world, national borders seem irrelevant when it comes to international crime and terrorism Likewise, human rights, poverty, inequality, democracy, development, trade, bioethics, hunger, war and peace are all issues of global rather than national justice The fact that mass demonstrations are organized whenever the world’s governments and politicians gather to discuss such major international issues is testimony to a widespread appeal for justice around the world Discussions of global justice are not limited to the fields of political philosophy and political theory In fact, research concerning global justice quite often requires an interdisciplinary approach It involves aspects of ethics, law, human rights, international relations, sociology, economics, public health, and ecology Springer’s new series Studies in Global Justice up that interdisciplinary perspective The series brings together outstanding monographs and anthologies that deal with both basic normative theorizing and its institutional applications The volumes in the series discuss such aspects of global justice as the scope of social justice, the moral significance of borders, global inequality and poverty, the justification and content of human rights, the aims and methods of development, global environmental justice, global bioethics, the global institutional order and the justice of intervention and war Volumes in this series will prove of great relevance to researchers, educators and students, as well as politicians, policy-makers and government officials More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6958 Susan P Murphy Responsibility in an Interconnected World International Assistance, Duty, and Action Susan P Murphy School of Natural Sciences Trinity College Dublin Dublin 2, Ireland ISSN 1871-0409 ISSN 1871-1456 (electronic) Studies in Global Justice ISBN 978-3-319-31443-3 ISBN 978-3-319-31445-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31445-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016940517 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland For Shane, Eva, Tara and Conn Preface Giving assistance is a widespread practice that has grown into a virtual industry Intended to facilitate and mediate between those in desperate need and those with a capacity to assist, it operates at a global level, delivering assistance wherever and whenever the need is most pressing The practice of assistance can aim at the most fundamental end of saving lives through the provision of food, shelter and protection, water and sanitation and medical support in times of urgent need It can also include longer term ends including poverty reduction, improvements in health and education, the delivery of public services and protection of public goods, and generally a wide array of strategies intended to improve the lives and livelihoods of the poorest members of the global community However, the practice is experiencing problems Firstly, there is a growing body of evidence that points to problems in the practical application of aid It seems that its instruments and activities can fail to achieve the goal of helping others and, in some cases, have been found to contribute to harm Secondly, this has led some to suggest that the aid industry is in turmoil, marked by an absence of clear moral guidelines Why one acts to give assistance to another directly informs how one acts It can guide and inform which actions are permissible and, of equal significance, which actions are not permissible It establishes the breadth and reach, the extent and limits, of the courses of action one can undertake However, it seems that many within this practice are now reflecting both on their actions and their reasons for acting, and asking if these are fit for purpose in the complex contemporary circumstances of assistance Finally, if harm does arise in the practice of aid, the question of who ought to what for whom to address and remediate such harm is unclear These problems point to important moral questions requiring a strong philosophical response In response to this uncertainty and unease, this book takes on the thorny task of examining which ethical framework provides the most appropriate guide to action for agents within the contemporary context Of course much turns on how one defines the term appropriate I argue that the most appropriate framework from a donor’s perspective is one that supports an agent to act in order to help another, while considering the moral problem of harmful outcomes – how to avoid these, vii viii Preface how to provide redress if this is required and how to determine what responsibilities flow from aid action From the perspective of the aid recipient, this book argues that the most appropriate framework is one in which aid that is required is delivered to those most in need and that is sensitive to the social and cultural context in which it is placed Thus, the account of aid that is developed through these pages is one that seeks to balance the agency of both the one in need (the recipient) as well as those giving assistance (the donor) It seeks to move the debate beyond the question of ‘how much is enough’ Although this question is important and highly relevant in a world marked by deep inequality and interconnection, debates on this topic typically not extend to consideration of the practice that follows, and questions related to what is most appropriate, who decides, how can the essential agency of the recipient be respected through this practice and how this practice generates new relationships and special ties between those across spatial and temporal distances and diverse populations Beginning with an outline of the practical problems and context in which contemporary aid is practiced, the following chapters examine the philosophical dimensions of the problem and the claim that there is a tension between the two dominant ethical approaches underlying this practice – principle-based deontology and outcome-based consequentialism To unpack this claim, it critically analyses contemporary accounts of the philosophical basis of assistance as deontological and consequentialist respectively, against foundational accounts of the moral duty to assist in these two philosophical perspectives, highlighting both their points of connection and conflict It then turns to an examination of leading accounts of the duty to aid that cut across the philosophical traditions These include narrow, instructive accounts that seek to secure this moral duty through a precise specification of the act-types and actions required; and broad, disruptive accounts that seek to provide space for more creative and innovative expressions of this duty both within and beyond the constraints of the contemporary aid industry It examines instructive practical applications of this duty in the work of Rawls and Singer, and argues that these accounts fail to resolve the underlying issues and not address the practical problems faced by this industry The alternative approaches of O’Neill and Sen are found to avoid these problems in giving accounts of agency and practical reason that this duty requires for its expression Thus, both deontological and consequentialist approaches can provide a basis for the practice of aid in the contemporary context, but in different ways and for different reasons Further analysis finds that only an elaboration of a broad consequentialist approach, elaborating on a Senian framework, can provide a secure, practical and appropriate basis for moral action that can minimise harmful outcomes and provide a moral basis for further action based upon the interconnections and connections generated through the act of giving What is termed the interconnected ethical account of the nature and scope of the duty to assist is then developed and defended Through an elaboration of the elements of unavoidable interconnection, responsible action, inclusive engagement and accumulative duties and responsibilities, this approach has the potential to overcome the problems identified in other accounts and provides guidance to aid Preface ix practitioners, donors and recipients in the complex contemporary circumstances of assistance Further, this approach sheds light on the network of moral obligations, rights and responsibilities that can arise through the act of assisting another and highlights the links between acting upon a duty to assist, responsibilities for these actions and how such actions link with incremental moral duties that can amass as a consequence of such actions Dublin 2, Ireland Susan P Murphy ... suffering within humanitarian camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, and instances where food aid can result in interference in local modes of food production leading to increased... insecurity and vulnerability and, to varying degrees, at risk of descent into poverty When examining norms and practices of international assistance analogies to cases of single individuals in. .. fact that they were born into one state rather than another, or one community rather than another, or indeed one sex rather than another In our world, life expectancy, infant mortality rates, access