Published on
9 January 2019
Posted in Ethics in Business, Europe, Freedom, Political Economy, Uncategorized
In our current malaise(s) it is worth musing on the work of the great German-born economist E.F. Schumacher (1911–1977). Schumacher brought the social teaching of the Catholic Church, in the form of the worked theories of subsidiarity and distributism, back to the forefront of economic debate. His legacy emphasises the Christian truth that ‘the substance […]
Published on
27 November 2014
Posted in British Politics, Ethics in Business
Britain’s Conservative led government has just approved a significant increase in minimum wages, the first real-terms increase since 2008. The cries of low-paid workers have finally reached the ears of market libertarians in this season of party conferences prior to next year’s general election. Debates about the minimum wage have received wide coverage in the […]
Published on
7 February 2014
Posted in Ethics in Business, Public Policy
This week Londoners are divided: some know they need to work, and others feel they must strike. Due to the interconnectedness of occupations this engenders bitterness. If the strikers were retail staff or lawyers or civil servants, life for the rest of us would be largely unaffected, but since they are Tube staff others are […]
Published on
22 November 2013
Posted in Culture, Ethics in Business, Human Rights, Public Policy, Social Commentary
By Dr. Matthew Knight & Robert Stephenson-Padron We are in an age of ‘crises’ – a glance through newspapers over the last few weeks produces recognition of no fewer than seven varied crises currently in play: economic; humanitarian; demographic; moral; and those concerning refugees, care generally, and healthcare… In some respects the greatest challenge […]
Published on
16 August 2012
‘Modernity’, wrote Hegel, ‘is the secularisation of religion’. In many ways this is true of twentieth-century Europe during which we saw one responsibility after another pass from churches into the hands of government. Chief among these was, of course, the Welfare State, but education and moral authority followed not far behind. The last-mentioned is most […]
Published on
4 May 2012
Posted in Conscience, Ethics in Business, World Affairs
The annual meeting of Barclay’s Bank shareholders held last week, drew comment in the press. There was concern and dissatisfaction over executive remuneration. This follows similar expressions of concern by shareholders at Credit Suisse. A majority of shareholders of the insurance company Aviva, moreover, have voted against a remuneration report for senior executives. In all […]
Published on
14 March 2012
Posted in Big Society, Ethics in Business, Political Economy, Public Policy, Virtue
Following the financial crash of 2008 the economic ideas of John Meynard Keynes experienced a revival. Some argue that the recent policies of both the British and American governments are Keynesian. The British Prime Minister at the height of the crisis, Gordon Brown, actually referenced Keynes in announcing a fiscal stimulus. Keynes is well-known for […]
Published on
17 February 2012
At present it is hard to feel anything other than gloom about economic news. Unemployment fugures are high and firms struggle to access much-needed finance. The current global orthodoxy for governments is that of ‘necessary cuts’. Deepening ‘doom and gloom’ the credit rating agency Moody’s has this week noted a negative outlook for the UK […]