The Ethical Economy


Book Description

A new, more balanced system of economic production and wealth distribution that fundamentally rethinks the definition of value.




The Ethics of the New Economy


Book Description

Is restructuring an underhanded way to make the rich richer and the poor poorer? Or is it necessary, although bitter, medicine for an ailing economy? In The Ethics of the New Economy: Restructuring and Beyond, professionals from the fields of philosophy, ethics, management, as well as those representing the groups affected by restructuring, tackle thorny ethical issues. Referring to concrete case studies, these timely essays discuss a variety of topics, including justified and unjustified restructuring; employers’ obligations during the restructuring process; equity issues; the rise of part-time employment; the effects of restructuring on communities; the internal risks faced by restructuring corporations; deprofessionalization in health care; the consequences of restructuring in the developing world; philanthropy and cause-related marketing; corporate “judo” and restructuring; and responsible and irresponsible restructuring.







Ethics and Economic Theory


Book Description

This book takes a multi-disciplinary critique of economics' first principles: the fundamental and inter-related structuring assumptions that underlie the neo-classical paradigm. These assumptions, that economic agents are rational, self-interested individuals, continue to influence the teaching of economics, research agendas and policy analyses. The book argues that both the theoretical understanding of the economy and the actual working of real-world market economies diminish the scope for thinking about the relation between ethics, economics, and the economy. It highlights how market economies may "crowd out" ethical behavior and our evaluation of them elides ethical reflection. The book calls for a more pluralistic and richer approach to economic theory, one that allows ample room for ethical considerations. It provides insight into understanding human motivations and human flourishing and how a good economy requires reflection on the ethical relations between the self, world, and time.







Business Ethics for a New Economy


Book Description

Business Ethics for a New Economy Capitalism "as is" has served us well in the past and produced great wealth, but at a terrible price to the environment. Corporations arrived at the height of their growth and made enormous fortunes by abusing their power and doing business "at all cost". The environment and humankind are paying a high price for "their progress." They have endangered and depleted our vital resources such as our fertile soil and clean water, affected the world economy, and led to instability and conflict in many nations. The world is suffering from a "global burnout." These are all symptoms of the same illness: greed. Corporate greed and corruption have led us into a world crisis. The crisis is not just caused by pollution or the use of technology but represents a crisis of the whole life system. The pollution and destruction of our natural resources are only the symptoms and consequences of the underlying problems. The problem itself is an ethical one. The old ethics in business of I want it now and more does not work anymore, we have seen what is has done to our lives and the economy. We need to create new social value and practice business in such a manner that helps to eradicate poverty and not solely for the sake of our own survival. The B Lab, a nonprofit, has created a new model, the B Corporation, which simultaneously creates social value and will redefine success in business. It is an alternative to traditional corporations, which only maximize profits for shareholders. The B Corporation is a new type of corporation that uses the power of business to solve environmental and social problems. It is a legal structure with higher standards of accountability and transparency. This new way of doing business is the first systemic response to address the underlying problems of our financial crisis. By 2050, an estimated 100 million people will go hungry if we do not find a solution to the food and water shortages. Over 60 percent of the world's population will live in water-stressed areas by 2025, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Our soil has been destroyed after years of being abused through harmful farm practices and inorganic fertilizers and thus depleted our food resources of essential minerals. Besides ethical reasons to assist poor countries now and in the future, we must keep it our priority if we want to avoid more conflict caused in these regions due to the devastating effects of climate change. Food and water security will lead to increased migration and instability. Interdependence is the driving force of our time. With globalization all the environmental and humanitarian problems in countries far away have also become our problems. We have created them and must face the reality that we need to not just fix' them temporarily but solve them at their root. We need a new economic system- one that is more sustainable than our old system, which has failed. Our society is interlocked with the rest of the world through business and environmental interests, and we have a common interest to cooperate. We need a "greening of capitalism." The answer to creating a new business model- which profits society, as well as shareholders- is in establishing a B Corp known as a Benefit Corporation. Blurb from Esquire:" B corps might turn out to be like civil rights for blacks or voting for women- eccentric, unpopular ideas that took hold and changed the world."




Integrative Economic Ethics


Book Description

Integrative Economic Ethics is a highly original work that progresses through a series of rational and philosophical arguments to address foundational issues concerning the relationship between ethics and the market economy. Rather than accepting market competition as a driver of ethical behaviour, the author shows that modern economies need to develop ethical principles that guide market competition, thus moving business ethics into the realms of political theory and civic rationality. This book was in its fourth edition in the original German in 2008, this English translation of Peter Ulrich's development of a fresh integrative approach to economic ethics will be of interest to all scholars and advanced students of business ethics, economics, and social and political philosophy.




Ethics and Economics


Book Description

This textbook applies economic ethics to evaluate the free market system and enables students to examine the impact of free markets using the three main ethical approaches: utilitarianism, principle-based ethics and virtue ethics. Ethics and Economics systematically links empirical research to these ethical questions, with a focus on the core topics of happiness, inequality and virtues. Each chapter offers a recommended further reading list. The final chapter provides a practical method for applying the different ethical approaches to morally evaluate an economic policy proposal and an example of the methodology being applied to a real-life policy. This book will give students a clear theoretical and methodological toolkit for analyzing the ethics of market policies, making it a valuable resource for courses on economic ethics and economic philosophy.




On Moral Business


Book Description

An invaluable resources for the study of the relation of business, economics, ethics, and religion.




Value in Ethics and Economics


Book Description

Elizabeth Anderson offers a new theory of value and rationality that rejects cost-benefit analysis in our social lives and in our ethical theories. This account of the plurality of values thus offers a new approach, beyond welfare economics and traditional theories of justice, for assessing the ethical limitations of the market. In this light, Anderson discusses several contemporary controversies involving the proper scope of the market, including commercial surrogate motherhood, privatization of public services, and the application of cost-benefit analysis to issues of environmental protection. Table of Contents: Preface 1. A Pluralist Theory of Value A Rational Attitude Theory of Value Ideals and Self-Assessment How Goods Differ in Kind (I): Different Modes of Valuation How Goods Differ in Kind (II): Social Relations of Realization 2. An Expressive Theory of Rational Action Value and Rational Action The Framing of Decisions The Extrinsic Value of States of Affairs Consequentialism Practical Reason and the Unity of the Self 3. Pluralism and Incommensurable Goods The Advantages of Consequentialism A Pragmatic Theory of Comparative Value Judgments Incommensurable Goods Rational Choice among Incommensurable Goods 4. Self-Understanding, the Hierarchy of Values, and Moral Constraints The Test of Self-Understanding The Hierarchy of Values Agent-Centered Restrictions Hybrid Consequentialism A Self-Effacing Theory of Practical Reason? 5. Criticism, Justification, and Common Sense A Pragmatic Account of Objectivity The Thick Conceptual Structure of the Space of Reasons How Common Sense Can Be Self-Critical Why We Should Ignore Skeptical Challenges to Common Sense 6. Monistic Theories of Value Monism Moore's Aesthetic Monism Hedonism Rational Desire Theory 7. The Ethical Limitations of the Market Pluralism, Freedom, and Liberal Politics The Ideals and Social Relations of the Modern Market Civil Society and the Market Personal Relations and the Market Political Goods and the Market The Limitations of Market Ideologies 8. Is Women's Labor a Commodity? The Case of Commercial Surrogate Motherhood Children as Commodities Women's Labor as a Commodity Contract Pregnancy and the Status of Women Contract Pregnancy, Freedom, and the Law 9. Cost-Benefit Analysis, Safety, and Environmental Quality Cost-Benefit Analysis as a Form of Commodification Autonomy, Labor Markets, and the Value of Life Citizens, Consumers, and the Value of the Environment Toward Democratic Alternatives to Cost-Benefit Analysis Conclusion Notes References Index Reviews of this book: Anderson/auhtor is anxious to combat what she sees as a tendency for commercial values to invade areas of human life where they do not belong...A useful contribution to debate about the proper scope of the market. "Not everything is a commodity, insists Anderson, and her brief should shake up social science technocrats." DD--Philadelphia Inquirer "The book is rich in both argument and application." DD--Alan Hamlin, Times Higher Education Supplement "In this rich and insightful book Elizabeth Anderson develops an original account of value and rational action and then employs this account to address the pragmatic political question of what the proper range of the market should be. Anderson's principal targets are consequentialism, monism and the crude 'economistic' reasoning which underpins much contemporary social policy...This is an important book...For anyone interested in political philosophy this is essential reading." DD--A. J. Walsh, Australasian Journal of Philosophy --Hugo Dixon, Financial Times [UK] Reviews of this book: Not everything is a commodity, insists Anderson, and her brief should shake up social science technocrats. --Philadelphia Inquirer Reviews of this book: The book is rich in both argument and application. --Alan Hamlin, Times Higher Education Supplement Reviews of this book: In this rich and insightful book Elizabeth Anderson develops an original account of value and rational action and then employs this account to address the pragmatic political question of what the proper range of the market should be. Anderson's principal targets are consequentialism, monism and the crude 'economistic' reasoning which underpins much contemporary social policy...This is an important book...For anyone interested in political philosophy this is essential reading. --A. J. Walsh, Australasian Journal of Philosophy