Abstract

Liberal democracies emphasize and uphold the values of liberty and equality. However, inequalities prevail in such democracies. Homelessness, as an example, persists in liberal democracies. This work examines how homelessness, as a form of inequality, is made possible in such democracies by the use of theoretical and empirical analyses. The theories of John Rawls, Chantal Mouffe and Iris Marion Young are used to understand the meaning of democracy. The theoretical analysis argues that homelessness is able to exist in liberal democracies through the very principles of such democracies which recognize the right to property ownership thus setting the free market system in place at the basic structure. Through the workings of this economic system that is characterized by profit maximization, inequality is created. A consequence of this is homelessness. I critique Rawls's "difference principle" on its toleration and justification of inequalities, and argue that this principle does not offer a permanent solution to homelessness, as it has the tendency to justify and reinforce the problem in society. In order to understand ways by which the homeless experience inequalities in the social world, a field study has been conducted with special attention to the issue of exclusion as inequality experienced by the homeless in society. Participant observation, interviews, and life histories are methods used for the study. Findings suggest that homeless persons suffer exclusion in dimensions of the economic, health, housing, and the social.