Wbatever its merit as an account of political institutions, the social contract theory bas, in recent years, been the subject of intense scrutiny as an explanation for our moral obligations. Prominent examples of this approacb include the work of Jobn Rawls and David Gauthier. l A criticism of this understanding ofmoral obligation arises from several commentators, partly as a result of claims m...

In this paper we present a model of rational voting over redistribution where individual self-esteem and relative esteem for others are endogenously determined. Individuals differ in their productivities, and their behaviour and political views are influenced by moral standards concerning work. Agents determine what they take to be proper behaviour and they judge others, and themselves, accordi...