Why doesn’t rising economic inequality increase public demand for redistribution, as predicted by standard theories of inequality under democracy? Fair Enough? seeks to answer this important question. In doing so, Charlotte Cavaillé provides not only a convincing account of the puzzling disconnect between rising inequality and support for redistribution but also a theoretical framework to help us understand how people form preferences for redistribution in the first place.

Most scholars would probably agree that people are self-interested, seeking to maximize outcomes beneficial to them. At the same time, most would probably also agree that people prefer outcomes they consider fair. Often, however, the impacts of self-interest and fairness beliefs are studied in isolation. One of the main contributions of Fair Enough? is to provide a theoretical framework to help us understand the joint impact of the two. Cavaillé argues that when forming opinions on redistributive policies, people first and foremost consider whether a policy would move us closer to a “fair world.” If yes, they support the policy; if no, they oppose it. Yet, if the policy has large implications for the individual—for example, if it massively increases benefits received or taxes paid—material self-interest kicks in, trumping any conce