Are we really bound bz decisions made by our governments in the past?

CRISTIAN DIMITRIU

Workshop; International Workshop Extending Justice in Space and Time; 2019

In this work I argue that the same kinds of reasons that justify inheritance of responsibilities on private law justify inheritance of responsibilities for states across generations. My argument relies on what I call the Desert Principle: both in private law and at the state level, inheritance is not deserved. This is would be the only condition under which they ought to honor debt promises in the past. Under all other conditions, debt promises made in the past are not morally justified.