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Reframing the Moral Limits of Markets Debate: Social Domains, Values, Allocation Methods

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  • Ben Wempe

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Jeff Frooman

    (University of New Brunswick)

Abstract

What should and what should not be for sale in a society? This is the central question in the Moral Limits of Markets (MLM) debate, which is conducted by a group of business ethicists and liberal egalitarian political theorists. These MLM theorists, which we will dub ‘market moralists,’ all put forward a specific version of the argument that while the market is well suited to allocate some categories of goods and services, it is undesirable for the allocation of other such categories. We argue that the current MLM debate is too much framed in terms of a market/non-market dichotomy. Moreover, authors tend to distinguish insufficiently between values such as freedom, equality, and efficiency, and allocation methods such as the market, the queue, and rationing. We introduce a new conceptual scheme consisting of societal domains, values, and allocation methods to provide a better structure for this debate. The argument is illustrated from the education and healthcare domains.

Suggested Citation

  • Ben Wempe & Jeff Frooman, 2018. "Reframing the Moral Limits of Markets Debate: Social Domains, Values, Allocation Methods," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 1-15, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:153:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3346-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3346-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Frooman, Jeff, 2021. "Where MLM Intersects MFA: Morally Suspect Goods and the Grounds for Regulatory Action," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 31(1), pages 138-161, January.
    2. Paul Koster, 2023. "Counting what counts: Moral considerations and market surplus," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 23-008/VIII, Tinbergen Institute.
    3. Andreas Ostermaier & Dominik Aaken, 2020. "Freedom trumps profit: a liberal approach to business ethics," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 90(5), pages 947-962, June.
    4. Jason Monios, 2023. "The Moral Limits of Market-Based Mechanisms: An Application to the International Maritime Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(2), pages 283-299, October.

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