Compliance problem

Short description: Problem in contractarian ethics

The compliance problem is a problem in contractarian ethics.^[1] It states that it is in the individuals' best interest to agree to contract, but not to comply to them.

Thomas Hobbes first outlined the compliance problem in The Leviathan with the character called 'the foole'. His suggested solution was political coercion and oppression.

David Gauthier is a leading philosopher on the compliance problem. His suggested solution includes the theory of "maximin proportionate gain".^[2]^[1]

Recent scholarship "suggest the need for the creation of proactive encouragement of compliance programmes. Antitrust authorities should work with the business community to create a regulatory scheme that rewards good behaviour while punishing bad behaviour."^[3]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 "Contractarianism". 22 August 2025. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/contractarianism/?level=1. "Finally, the goal is to select that outcome generating the maximum minimum proportionate gain to any single party. This principle, which Gauthier calls maximin proportionate gain, selects a Pareto-optimal outcome that would be rational for parties to select."
↑ Campbell, Richmond (1 July 1988). "Review: Gauthier's Theory of Morals by Agreement; Reviewed Work: Morals by Agreement, [by David Gauthier"]. The Philosophical Quarterly (Oxford University Press) 38 (152): 343–364. doi:10.2307/2220134. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2220134. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
↑ Riley, Anne; Sokol, D. Daniel (1 April 2015). "Rethinking compliance". Journal of Antitrust Enforcement 3 (1): 31–57. doi:10.1093/jaenfo. https://academic.oup.com/antitrust/article-abstract/3/1/31/149579. Retrieved 10 August 2026.

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[Stanford-1] 1.0 ^1.1 "Contractarianism". 22 August 2025. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/contractarianism/?level=1. "Finally, the goal is to select that outcome generating the maximum minimum proportionate gain to any single party. This principle, which Gauthier calls maximin proportionate gain, selects a Pareto-optimal outcome that would be rational for parties to select."

[2] Campbell, Richmond (1 July 1988). "Review: Gauthier's Theory of Morals by Agreement; Reviewed Work: Morals by Agreement, [by David Gauthier"]. The Philosophical Quarterly (Oxford University Press) 38 (152): 343–364. doi:10.2307/2220134. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2220134. Retrieved 10 August 2026.

[3] Riley, Anne; Sokol, D. Daniel (1 April 2015). "Rethinking compliance". Journal of Antitrust Enforcement 3 (1): 31–57. doi:10.1093/jaenfo. https://academic.oup.com/antitrust/article-abstract/3/1/31/149579. Retrieved 10 August 2026.

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Compliance problem

Topic: Social

See also

References