What do we owe each other in the social Contract Research Paper

What do we owe each other in the social Contract - Research Paper Example onfessing (assuming they wish to), they will be assured of punishment but by refusing to do so each of them is guaranteed a light one (Kreps et al., 1982). Ergo if each can depend on the other not to confess for the sake of them both, then it can be said they have a social contract in place. In the early part of this decade there has been a great deal of controversy and conflict in respect to the expectations of Americans from the social contract that has was established in previous generations (Edsall, 2013). There have been numerous complains for instant in the fast food industry with employees and employers at loggerheads over issues of minimum wage. In the 80’s and early 80’s for instance, the industrial social contract in the USA was characterized by companies that took care of their workers welfare and provided them with insurance cover and pension benefits (Lubchenco, 1998). As a result, they workers needed unions less and one could argue that the industrialist sacrificed their right to exploit workers and they in turn sacrifice theirs to agitate for better conditions than they were already enjoying through labor unions. There are other underlying issues that underpin the social contract challenge, for the first time in nearly half a century, Americ ans are forced to struggle with what they want to get from the social contract (Freedman & Lind, 2013). Retrospectively, it was founded on a premise of relatively high wages and reliable benefits; however today, the system is such that low wages are supposed to be offset by reduced consumer prices and government intervention. Explicably, there has been considerable disaffection with the state of affairs and this has necessitated a re-examination of what the social contract is expected to do for the people and how it is they seem to be getting a raw deal. Alan Krueger who is the chairperson of the Obama’s economic advisors posits that America has lost its ethical and moral moorings because of the