Daniel Shapiro

Daniel Shapiro is an associate professor of philosophy at West Virginia University.  He is the author of a variety of papers in political philosophy and public policy, including "The Moral Case for a Market-Based Retirement System," in Social Security and Its Discontents, ed. Michael Tanner (Cato Institute, 2004); "Individual Rights, Drug Policy, and the Worst-Case Scenario," Criminal Justice Ethics, 22 (Winter/Spring 2003); “Egalitarianism and Welfare State Redistribution," Social Philosophy and Policy 19 (Winter 2002); "Addiction and Drug Policy," in Morality and Moral Controversies ed. John Arthur, 6th ed., (Prentice Hall, 2002); and "Why Even Egalitarians Should Support Market Health Insurance," Social Philosophy and Policy, 15 (Summer 1998).

He is currently finishing a book, Justice, Community, and Efficiency: Is the Welfare State Justified? in which he compares major welfare state institutions with market alternatives, as judged by central values in contemporary political philosophy such as liberty, fairness, security, and solidarity.

Professor Shapiro does not fit the stereotype of a West Virginian. He is not married to his sister, and does not chew tobacco or own a shotgun. He has no sister, chews gum, and if he tried to use a shotgun, he'd probably blow off his foot.

Resources by Daniel Shapiro

Is the Welfare State Justified?