Reciprocity, Duties between Age Groups and Demographic Change

Abstract

In this paper, I look at how justice as reciprocity, once applied to the intergenerational domain, defines our duties in view of demographic fluctuations. I argue that the idea of direct reciprocity between birth cohorts, but also the ideas of direct and indirect reciprocity between age groups, should be abandoned. This leaves things open for an approach in terms of indirect reciprocity between birth cohorts. I explore what fluctuations in birth rate between successive birth cohorts entail from the perspective of justice as indirect reciprocity between generations. I argue that to find out whether fluctuations in natality have implications in terms of what generations owe each other, we should approach the matter in priority through the prism of justice between birth cohorts. Any repercussions at the level of duties between age groups will have to partly depend on how duties that birth cohorts have towards each other adjust to demographic change.