Should We Care About the Rich?

The growth in top incomes occurring in most Oecd countries as from the closing decades of the 20th century is by now well documented, while hard thinking in terms of evaluating the phenomenon appears overdue. Prompted by Franzini Ricchi e poveri. L’Italia e le disuguaglianze (in)accettabili (Egea, Università Bocconi, Milano, 2010), the following contributions discuss some of the main arguments that could be developed from an efficiency and social justice point of view. The principles considered include the internalization of the social costs of wealth, equality of opportunity in acquisition of wealth, and justice in the market game procedures.