Ethics and the Market by Clary, Betsy Jane; Dolfsma, Wilfred; Figart, Deborah M.;

Short description:

Comprising cutting-edge work on the state of social economics today, this key book includes strong emphasis on the role of ethics, morality, identity, and society in economic theorizing.

Long description:

Comprising cutting-edge work on the state of social economics today, this theoretically diverse book includes strong emphasis on the role of ethics, morality, identity, and society in economic theorizing.

Much existing economic theory overlooks ethics. Rather than situating the market and values at separate extremes of a continuum, Ethics and the Market contends that the two are necessarily and intimately related. This volume brings together some of the best work in the social economics tradition, with strong contributions and pedagogy, and a cross-national blend of economics, philosophy, and policy. The contributors embed the economic within the social, rather than viewing 'the economy' and 'society' as separable spheres of life activity, and in so doing, three key themes are illuminated, corresponding to the volume's tripartite structure:

• Morality and Markets


• Redefining the Boundaries of Economics


• Social Economics in Transition.

Ethics and the Market illuminates the diverse and dynamic theoretical approaches that are employed in social economics, reflecting on their continuously evolving relationship with neoclassical economics. Taking an innovative approach, this integrative book challenges traditional ways of thinking, and will prove vital reading for students and academics in the fields of Economics, Sociology, Gender Studies, and Public Policy.

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations.  Notes on Contributors.  Acknowledgments.  List of Abbreviations.  1. Introduction  Part 1: Morality and Markets  2. The Moral Embeddedness of Markets  3. Creative Destruction and Community  4. Borrowing Alone: The Theory and Policy Implications of the Commodification of Finance  5. Teaching the Ethical Foundations of Economics: The Principles Course   Part 2: Redefining the Boundaries of Economics  6. The Normative Significance of the Individual in Economics   7. The Impact of Identity on Economics   8. The Relationship between Consumption and Production: Conceptualizing Well-Being Inside the Household  9. Social Economy as Social Science and Practice: Historical Perspectives on France  10. France and Québec: Progressive Alternatives Embodied in Different 'Social Economy' Traditions   Part 3: Social Economies in Transition  11. Accounting for Societal Externalities  12. Ethnicity, Democracy and Economic Development: A Pluralist Approach   13. A Gender-Aware Approach to International Finance  14. Social Capital and the Capability Approach: A Social Economic Theory