Inequality, exclusion and justice

The article deals with the normative foundations underlying (or needed by) sociological research on inequality. Since sociology as a positive discipli ne is incapable of providing such foundations itself, it needs to borrow th em elsewhere, especially-as is maintained here-from political theory and we lfare economics. Combining important elements drawn from sociological diffe rentiation theory with (portions of) the works of John Rawls and Michael Wa lzer, an outline of a conception of justice is drawn which promises to lay the necessary groundwork and hence to serve as a basis for guiding normativ ely relevant empirical research.