Does the Free Market Lead the Way to the Good Life?
Modernity, especially the free market, has liberated Western man. But does it also offer a good answer to the question of the good life? No, because the free market is also dehumanizing.
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Can Corporations be ‘Good Citizens’?
“The idea of ‘good corporate citizenship’ has become popular recently among business ethicists and corporate leaders. You may have noticed its appearance on corporate websites and CEO speeches. But what does it mean and does it matter? Is it any more than a new species of public relations flimflam to set beside terms like ‘corporate social responsibility’ and the ‘triple bottom line’? Is it just a metaphor?”
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Identity Politics Veers into Identity Economics
“So-called identity politics can be both an authentic form of personal expression as well as a force for division and enmity. As identity politics increasingly manifests in our economic life, we encounter the danger of identity economics, where we only agree to economic transactions with those who agree with us on an ever-growing list of moral or even political shibboleths.”
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Social Ecology and the Market Economy: Revisiting the Threefold Foundations of a Flourishing Society
A full vision of the social structures of human flourishing must include three elements: the economic, political, and moral-cultural, so Jordan Ballor – researcher in the project ‘What Good Markets are Good for’ – argues in this essay.
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Adam Smith on Morality and Markets
“The idea of a society in which everyone acts out of pure benevolence is a fantastic ideal. It’s just not feasible.”
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The Psychological Mechanisms behind the Workings of the Invisible Hand
What economist and business ethicist Johan Graafland likes about The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) by philosopher and economist Adam Smith, is that it displays an enormous understanding of human nature and that he makes you reconsider your point of view times and again. A book interview.
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Trustworthiness of Doctors and Bankers Judged Quite Differently
“A much greater risk, it seems to me, is that all kinds of much needed discussions about the structure of our economy, which have gained traction in recent years, will come to a halt again. In which sectors can the free market work well, and in which not? In the financial sector? In the health care sector? In the food sector? And under what conditions?”
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Free Trade from a Relational Perspective: Opportunities and Threats
The case for free trade is often based on the view that man is a rational and individualistic homo economicus. This article analyzes free trade from a broader, relational picture of mankind. After introducing this view, we discuss the blessings of free trade from this relational perspective. Next we explore three developments that put international trade under pressure. We investigate a number of policy options to prevent free trade from impairing interpersonal relationships.
Read MoreMarkets, Competition and Morality
A lecture given by economist Eric van Damme at ERGO Xtra I, 4 October 2017 at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
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Inevitable that We Occasionally Hurt Each Other in the Market
Economist Lans Bovenberg recognizes the passion for his field that (historical) economist Luigino Bruni displays in his book The Wound and the Blessing; Economics, Relationships and Happiness (2012) – and shares his vision that the market is an important social infrastructure for human co-operation. A book interview.
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Free Markets, Inequality and Happiness
“Our article contains various points of reference for government policy that can establish the right balance between free market and corrective action.”
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The Market is (Not) Virtuous
Ding-dong. In the left corner we have the great champion Adam Smith, assisted by his charming...
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