BOOK: Morality and Power: On Ethics, Economics and Public Policy

Click here to order Morality and Power via Edward Elgar Publishing.

Click here to read the Table of Contents and Preface of Morality and Power.

Offering a compelling critique of orthodox economic analysis in the public realm, Mike Berry exposes the lack of development in economic thinking in public policy since the economic crisis of 2008. Focusing on both the ethically unacceptable outcomes of recent public policy and the threat of populism and rising nationalism, this book offers noteworthy suggestions for an alternative social democratic future.

Both students and practitioners of heterodox economics and public policy will find this a compelling insight into the ethical concerns and social impacts raised by the political ascendency of neoliberal policies in recent decades.

REVIEWS OF MORALITY AND POWER

‘This outstanding book shows why mainstream economics, purporting to be the premier social science, is really neither social nor scientific. Economists’ standard assumption of individual rationality ignores the social context, values and power structures that shape actual economic decisions, behaviour and outcomes. Mike Berry’s new book takes us through the evolution of key economic ideas about markets, efficiency and welfare, showing how economics lost its way as a guide to useful public policy. It shows how an explicitly ethical alternative could help us deal better with modern challenges like financial instability, economic inequality and environmental crisis.’ – Professor Frank Stilwell, Journal of Australian Political Economy

‘This is a wonderful book full of insight and argument about the biggest issues facing humanity. Mike Berry writes with verve and imagination, translating the history of ethics and economics into a manifesto for 21st century public policy. Its scope is something to behold.’ – Professor Gordon Clark, University of Oxford

‘Critical of the dominant neoliberal application of economics to public policy, Berry makes a convincing case for the renewal of ethical principles in search of wealth and the “good life”. Erudite and accessible, this book is an intellectual tour de force that covers the major historical and normative aspects of capitalist economies in its quest for more sustainable alternatives.’ – Professor Manfred B. Steger, University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, US and RMIT University, Australia