Minimal state
Also called: Night-watchman state · Topic: Equality and Social Justice · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "Freedom"
Meaning
A minimal state does only a few basic jobs. It protects people's life, liberty and property and makes sure contracts are kept. It leaves the economy to the free market. This is the ideal of classical liberalism, which is the older form of liberalism. It is also called the night-watchman state, because the state acts like a guard and does nothing more. Robert Nozick (1974) defended it. He argued that taxing people to redistribute wealth, beyond what a minimal state needs, is unjust.
Example
In a minimal state, the government would run the police, the courts and the army. It would not run schools, hospitals or food schemes. Nozick's well-known example is the basketball star Wilt Chamberlain. Fans freely pay to watch him play, and Nozick said that taxing his earnings to help others would violate his rights.
Don't confuse with
- Welfare state: a welfare state actively provides education, health care and social security to reduce inequality. A minimal state leaves these to the market.