New grant for research into the moral dilemmas of extreme wealth
Associate Professor Lasse Nielsen from the Department of Design, Media and Educational Science receives more than DKK 6 million from Independent Research Fund Denmark to the research project "The Morality of Extreme Wealth", which examines the moral aspects of extreme moral challenges that arise in a society with extreme wealth.
In recent years, inequality in society has not only increased, but has evolved in a way that the wealthiest are getting richer. This means that a large portion of society's economic resources are concentrated in the hands of a few individuals who have completely different opportunities than the average citizen. Classical theories of fair distribution are not sufficient to analyse the moral problems that arise because of this development.
Shedding new light on extreme wealth and injustice
The project will therefore develop new philosophical theories that can explain why extreme wealth poses a justice problem, what role individual responsibility plays, and what moral obligations come with being extremely rich. These insights can contribute to a better understanding of justice in our society and create a more nuanced understanding and language of inequality.
With this grant, Lasse Nielsen hopes to shed new light on one of today's most pressing social debates about extreme wealth, inequality and poverty. The project is carried out in collaboration with Senior Lecturer, David Axelsen, University of Essex.
Read more and see all research projects that have received a Research Project2 grant in 2025 on the DFF website.
Meet the researcher
Associate Professor Lasse Nielsen is a researcher at Department for Design, Media and Educational Science. He has published numerous articles on topics such as distributive justice, economic philosophy, health ethics, health care priority setting, health inequality, discrimination, and immigration.