Behavioural Economics And Business Ethics

Economics and moral philosophy have in recent years been considered to be distinct and separate fields. However, behavioural economics has started to reconcile various aspects of morality and economics, which has offered new conceptual opportunities to advance economics ethics and business ethics. This book aims to advance economic ethics and business ethics by combining normative principles and empirical evidence grounded on the key motivational forces in economic decision making. It has three core objectives: to assess order ethics as a theory of both economic ethics and business ethics, using behavioural economics methods and evidence; to identify cardinal virtues for modern business ethics; to to set up valuable guidelines for the implementation of economic ethics and business ethics.

Aims to advance economic and business ethics by combining normative principles and empirical evidence grounded on the key motivational forces in economic decision-making.

This timely book offers a nuanced critique of the nudge narrative, and demonstrates why and how ethical behaviour can have significant positive economic and wellbeing outcomes. Morris Altman models a complex alternative to the expectations of ethical behaviour and shows how this behaviour can be consistent with competitive market economies, contrary to what conventional economic theory suggests.

This book looks at how and why individuals display unethical behavior. It emphasizes the actual behavior of individuals rather than specific business practices. It draws from work on psychology; as Max Bazerman said, "efforts to improve ethical decision making are better aimed at understanding our psychological tendencies".

This textbook takes a new approach to economics by taking into account behavioral sciences and ethics. The basics of institutional economics are the starting point of the book, which are combined with insights from business ethics and behavioral science. It analyzes human behavior in order to discover incentives for economic agents to behave in a welfare-maximizing way, and analyzes the impact of human behavior and morality on economic systems, markets and politics. This textbook draws from new research results from behavioral economics, as well as from other disciplines, such as psychology and sociology, thus leading to new conclusions for economic science. The book sheds light on how people behave and how such behavior can be guided towards moral welfare for everyone. Furthermore, the reader is introduced to behavioral games, and to how these can be used to study economic behavior. Each chapter contains a summary on behavioral science findings as well as one on ethical findings. This book is a must read for advanced students in economics and political science but can also be of use to researchers of economics, as well as policymakers and business executives due to its focus on applications.

The links between self-interest and morality have been examined in moral philosophy since Plato. Economics is a mostly value-free discipline, having lost its original ethical dimension as described by Adam Smith. Examining moral philosophy through the framework provided by economics offers new insights into both disciplines and the discussion on the origins and nature of morality. The Morality of Economic Behaviour: Economics as Ethics argues that moral behaviour does not need to be exogenously encouraged or enforced because morality is a side effect of interactions between self-interested agents. The argument relies on two important parameters: behaviour in a social environment and the effects of intertemporal choice on rational behaviour. Considering social structures and repeated interactions on rational maximisation allows an argument for the morality of economic behaviour. Amoral agents interacting within society can reach moral outcomes. Thus, economics becomes a synthesis of moral and rational choice theory bypassing the problems of ethics in economic behaviour whilst promoting moral behaviour and ethical outcomes. This approach sheds new light on practical issues such as economic policy, business ethics and social responsibility. This book is of interest primarily to students of politics, economics and philosophy but will also appeal to anyone who is interested in morality and ethics, and their relationship with self-interest.

In this textbook we examine the extent to which moral values play a role as productive forces for companies and the economy as a whole, and explores the effect of ethical and unethical behavior at both levels. We show how ethics improves productivity, and provide specific ethics tools for practical application for both students and managers. Stemming from an overall interdisciplinary approach, this textbook fills a gap in the literature on ethics in business. Following a textbook structure, we first derive knowledge from scientific studies that are relevant for students, and then summarize the results. We explain ethical assessment approaches, and then provide an ethical assessment of economic behavior using case studies. Roleplaying and games are used to explain the behavior of people in relation to ethics. The 2nd edition has been completely revised and expanded to include new findings from the behavioral sciences (psychology, social psychology, sociology and behavioral economics). In particular, the research on emotions, motivation and group behavior have given rise to many new impulses in business ethics. In addition, new case studies and new chapters were included, like Politics and Morality, Theories of Justice, Global Ethics, and Institutions as Solutions to Specific Game Situations (game theory). This book is important for students and researchers as well as policymakers and business executives due to its focus on applications.