Governmental Culpability

Abstract

This chapter returns to the issue of what the normative implications of collective culpability are for members of the collective (e.g. those in government, public services, defence forces and the police). After setting aside some preliminary worries with the idea of collective punishment, the chapter argues for a distribution of culpability under a particular transformation: proportional to hierarchy in the collective. This entails that all members get a share in the collective’s culpability, but some get a greater share than others. This conclusion is defended against several objections, including the problem that some employees may have done all they could to prevent a collective harm taking place.