ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at accounts which assert that the primary goods metric used by John Rawls is not the appropriate measurement of justice. It assesses the alternatives provided, before outlining Rawls own modified metric. Within the theoretical framework the chapter focuses on basic justice for the worst off in society; his metric needs to be able to provide an account of this within policy terms. It argues that Rawls' concept of the primary goods metric does not have to be wholly rejected for my focus on effective agency to work. The chapter proposes however, that a simplification of primary goods with an emphasis on capabilities is a more appropriate measurement of social justice in social policy. Rawls distinguishes between natural and social primary goods. Both alternative metrics aim to correct failings of the primary goods account but by focusing on different areas of motivation.
