  One reason for supposing that more demanding egalitarian principles apply to the enactment of laws and public policies and to the conduct of states than to individual conduct is that the reasons to insist that the state choose its actions according to impartial standards, treating all citizens impartially, are stronger than the reasons to insist that individuals in private life should choose actions according to impartial standards, treating all fellow citizens who might be affected by one's choices impartially. In private life, an individual is permitted to favor herself over others. An individual is also permitted to favor her own friends and family members over other people in many contexts (not when she is an employer selecting who among those who have applied for a job should be selected for employment, nor is she permitted to offer goods and services for sale to some while refusing to sell these same commodities to others). Individuals are thought to have wide discretion to pursue their own projects in their own way. In contrast, the state is widely supposed to be entitled to favor the interests of its citizens living with its jurisdiction over the interests of noncitizens living outside its jurisdiction, but is required to be strictly impartial in treating citizens. In the words of Ronald Dworkin, the state is obliged to treat all citizens with equal concern and respect.