Poverty in most socioeconomic systems would imply that things are unjust.  When the country unemployment rate is higher than other countries an unjust system would be likely.  Refusing to change things shows a fear that others will have a better chance of avoiding poverty.  People will say that something is fair when it is beneficial to them.  It is unfair when the benefits are going to be changed.  This is a mindset that can be found in a majority of people.

An individual cannot change certain facts that play a part in how successful they are.  There are rules in society that require you to wear certain clothes, and other than require you know specific things.  If you do not follow these rules, the companies that believe in them will not hire the person applying for a job.  There are people that are only trained in specific jobs and if they end up black listed by an employer, no matter where they go, a job cannot be found.

Looking at an example of how bad our society has become unjust, the case of the homeless man who bled to death in New York City.  He bled for four hours, and people just walked past him without even calling someone for help.  They just walked around him and kept on with their day.  Without the help, he could not survive to better his situation.  Without the help of others, people have less of a chance to make it very far in life.

A just socioeconomic system would have zero poverty, and everyone would make enough money to support their own lives.   There would be no need for a raised minimum wage or redistribution of wealth.  Everyone measures wealth in the terms of money.  Support when trying to make a career would drive someone to try to be successful.  This in turn would help them make the money needed to not only survive, but become wealthy.  In a way, being poor is more than not having money, it is also a lack of people to support them in becoming successful.

When poverty is concentrated in certain groups, it shows an even more unjust system.  This separation shows that the socioeconomic system is designed for specific people to be successful, while leaving the other groups behind.  Over the years, our society was aimed at only specific people to be successful.  When first created, only the men were allowed to work.  Then it turned into, only white men that could work.  Then only white men and women could work making minimum wage.  Even after the racism stopped, men still made more than women in the economy.  To this day, there are still things that separate each various group of people in terms of income.

A libertarian like Nozick would view the poverty as a choice made by the person that is in their situation.  He would say that these people choose to not make it anywhere in life.  It is also not the place of others to keep them from living that way if they choose to have that kind of life.  If someone chooses to make it a habit of being poor, it is their right and no one has the right to interfere with them.

He would say that the people should live how they please.  It is not our place to tell them that they are wrong.  The belief in economic justice is known as the entitlement theory.  This means that people collect their wealth fairly, and are justified to keep the earnings without interference from others.  There is no requirement to help others with the earnings that have been made.

If someone wanted to transfer property that was theirs, they could do so.  In order to complete the third principle of Nozick they must follow the first two completely.  Private charity is very plausible because, it is following the right of the person to do as they choose with the money.  It is a practice also taught as the Lockean Right.  Publicly helping someone violates the person’s right to privacy.  This in turn violates the principles that are part of Nozick’s teachings.

Poverty is something that will always exist in each society.  No matter how people view what is, or is not right in a society, there are factors that cannot be controlled or justified by anyone’s teachings.  With each person viewing justice in their own way, it is hard to draw a specific line on when justice is being violated.  The right way to look at how justice works depends on the person looking at it.