Articles & Blogs by Project Team Members

This overview of articles, columns and blog posts resulting from the Good Markets research project is a selection from all blog posts on the Moral Markets platform.

Adam Smith in Theological Perspective

Adam Smith in Theological Perspective

“A new turn to religion in Smith studies helps provide a bertter understanding of the great Scottish philosopher and political economist than has traditionally been on offer. […] Rather than providing a close textual reading and explication of a particular passage or a comprehensive survey of religious and theological themes in Smith’s work, this essay sets the stage for a broad theological understanding of Smith.”

Why the Economy Needs a Theology of the Body

Why the Economy Needs a Theology of the Body

“The promises of virtualization and automation are often exaggerated, as are their dangers. It is possible for an increasingly virtualized and automated economy to actually be more humane, but only if such an economy does justice to the human realities of incarnation and relation”, so Moral Markets researcher Jordan Ballor argues.

‘Two Hundred Years Back, One Hundred Years Ahead: From One Revolution to Another’

‘Two Hundred Years Back, One Hundred Years Ahead: From One Revolution to Another’

Two hundred years ago, a seemingly megalomaniac and even hopeless project was started in the West: overcoming poverty by creating more prosperity. This project was called “Progress”. Two hundred years later we can only conclude that this project was more successful than we could have anticipated. However, this project also has some serious shadow sides. As humanity we have to start a new, at first sight almost equally megalomaniac project for the next hundred years: making our prosperity sustainable.

More Equal Distribution of Wealth Makes People Happier

More Equal Distribution of Wealth Makes People Happier

Since the liberalization of the Western economies in the 1980s and 1990s, income inequality has increased dramatically. In the public debate, the question arises how this inequality impacts societies and what role it plays in the functioning of the economy. Bjorn Lous has studied this issue, based on the question: How do the various aspects of economic freedom relate to (inequality of) life satisfaction and trust through their relationship with income inequality?

Can Corporations be ‘Good Citizens’?

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?”

Identity Politics Veers into Identity Economics

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.”

The Psychological Mechanisms behind the Workings of the Invisible Hand

The Psychological Mechanisms behind the Workings of the Invisible Hand

Part 3 of 4 in series "'Good Markets' book interviews"

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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