Resource Rights: Expanding the Scope of Liberal Theories

What is a just global distribution of resources? According to liberal theories of resource rights, a just distribution is sensitive to how resources support people’s life plans or identity-conferring practices. A minimum share of some resources, like water and air, are necessary for anyone’s plans or practices. They can therefore be claimed by us all, simply as human beings. Apart from such general claims to generic resources, liberal theories widely believe that some people may also lay claim to particular resource tokens. If a particular token has become necessary to support a specific person’s plans or identities, she has a pro tanto special claim to control it. Despite their prominence, liberal theories of resource rights need further development. In this article, I show that their respect for people’s life plans or identities compels them to recognize a much wider set of special claims than thus far acknowledged. Consistent liberals must recognize special claims not only to irreplaceable tokens, but also to resources that are straightforwardly replaceable in the claimant’s plans or practices. This dramatically expands the scope of liberal theories. The article ends by showing what my thesis implies for acquisition of resources in remote locations like the Arctic.