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ECGE1316 - Ethics and the economy
Credits :
4
Lecturer :
Mode of delivery :
Face-to-face , first term, 30 hours of theory.
Timetable :
First term
Friday from 11:00 to 13:00 at 119 Marais 1200
Language of instruction :
French, texts in English.
Learning outcomes :
The main aim is to lead the students to adopt a critical approach, mindful of ethical robustness, in any analysis of the functioning of an advanced capitalist economy. For this reason, active discussion about the ideas presented during the sessions is particularly encouraged.
Prerequisites :
 For the Bachelor : Business Engineering :
For the Bachelor in Economics and Management :
Co-requisites :
None
Course contents :
The course aims to articulate normative reflection on justice and empirical analysis of economy. It will focus essentially - but not exclusively - on the advanced capitalist economies (OECD countries). At first, the course will focus on the history of capitalism in order to enlighten the different forms this economic system has now taken. In a second step, the course will study the main theories of distributive justice, focusing especially on the contrast between libertarianism (Nozick) and egalitarian liberalism (Rawls).
Marxism will briefly be discussed. Based on this, in a third step, the course will lead a deepened comparative analysis based upon recent research in economic, social and political sciences. For instance, through the analysis of disparities (Gini coefficient) and of poverty (relative and absolute), we will try to identify the capitalist countries that, better than others, succeed in getting close to the Rawlsian maximin. Finally, two examples of contemporary issues in economic ethics will be studied. On the one hand we will study global justice with a special focus on individual ethics (example of the responsibility of consumers). On the other hand, we will analyse some main issues of business ethics (example of ethical funds).
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Lectures including well-argued discussions between the students. The students will be asked to be attentive to the news.
Assessment methods and criteria :
The assessment is a written examination and includes reflection questions.
Recommended or required reading :
No specific bibliography at this time.
Other information :
Slides shown in class, brief summaries. It is essential to attend lectures.
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