Care Ethics and Markets: A View from Feminist Economics

Julie Nelson

No 179082, Working Papers from Tufts University, Global Development and Environment Institute

Abstract: It is common to think of care ethics and justice ethics as being opposed to each other, and also to think of economic life as being opposed to social life. As a result, it may be hard to see how care ethics, seen as interpersonal, could be applicable to business, when the latter is perceived as asocial. This essay uncovers the origins of these beliefs in unhelpful dualistic cognitive habits and in gender-biases in the development of the discipline of economics. In particular, feminist analysis reveals the mythical nature of both "economic man" and the belief in mechanical "profit maximization." The essay calls for unveiling and recognizing the ethical and connected dimensions that already characterize business life, and including these in thinking about how to create a more humane economy.

Keywords: Institutional; and; Behavioral; Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-05
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Working Paper: Care Ethics and Markets: A View from Feminist Economics
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:tugdwp:179082

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.179082

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