Endogenous Virtues and Economic Policy (original) (raw)

Abstract: In recent years a literature has developed that brings insights from virtue-based ethics to the field of economics. One of the most formidable challenges in this literature is the application of these insights to policy decision-making. This paper summarizes the literature on virtue ethics and economics before drawing on MacIntyre's account of virtues to argue the following. First, virtues are best conceived of, in economics, as capabilities for moral action. Second, these virtues are essential to the functioning of the economy. Finally, virtues are ...