Ethics and the economy

Teacher(s)

Vanderborght Yannick;

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

Identify and understand the main theories of distributive justice, as well as their relevance to normative economics Memorize the principles and concepts at the core of these different theories Compare these theories in order to assess their respective advantages and disadvantages Apply these theories to the analysis and evaluation of public policies and concrete economic behavior Develop a coherent ethical argumentation, distinguishing between facts and values

Content

Each section of the course focuses on a detailed presentation some of the main theories in contemporary economic ethics, to be applied to concrete cases. Among the issues that might be tackled in class: - Is it fair to tax the most productive workers in order to transfer money to the least productive? – Have we a moral obligation to give a share of our resources to NGOs in development aid? – Is an unconditional basic income a promising way to reform our welfare state?
These questions might be dealt with within a single theory, but will often require a dialogue between various theories.

The main sections of the course will be as follows (subject to change):
- General introduction
- Utilitarianism
- Meritocracy
- Marxism
- Libertarianism
- Liberal-egalitarianism

Teaching methods

Lecture with Powerpoint presentation. The Powerpoint presentation is made available via Moodle and Syllanet. The active participation of students is most welcome. Attendance at course is strongly recommended.

Furthermore, students may be required to read a book (or several articles) in economic ethics. The required readings (if any) are part of the material to be studied for the exam.

Evaluation methods

The written exam may include questions about all the material (authors, theories, historical facts, etc.) seen in class, as well as on the required readings (if any). For detailed information and sample questions, students are strongly advised to check the exam procedures posted on Moodle.

Faculty or entity

> ESPB