Making Globalization Good

Abstract

Abstract Many of us have a sense of unease about current trends in global capitalism (GC) and global society. Inequalities and conflict seem endemic; much‐vaunted technological innovations seem unable to deliver structural change and development in many parts of the world; and ideological conflicts may be more intense than during the cold war. The central point of debate in this book is to identify and evaluate the moral challenges of what contributors refer to as ’responsible global capitalism (RGC)’. How can we develop a global economic architecture that is economically efficient, morally acceptable, geographically inclusive, and sustainable over time? If global capitalism––arguably the most efficient wealth‐creation system currently known to man––is to be both economically viable and socially acceptable, each of its four constituent institutions (markets, governments, supra‐national agencies and civil society) must not only be technically and administratively competent but also be buttressed and challenged by a strong ethical ethos. In this book, leading thinkers in international business and ethics (including academics, politicians and moralists) identify the pressing economic and moral issues that global capitalism must answer. Recognizing that solutions will not come from any one quarter, and that any serious discussion of a just and equitable system must embrace questions of ethics and faith, the book approaches the issues from a range of different disciplines and forums. It is arranged in three parts. Part I (5 chapters) presents the analytical framework underlying the volume's main themes. Part II (5 chapters) concentrates on the challenges, opportunities, and dilemmas posed by global capitalism. Part III (6 chapters) considers how the global society might better organize itself, and its constituent institutions to respond to the challenges of global capitalism in a way that helps embrace an agreed set of core values, while accepting the need for a degree of cultural diversity and tolerance in respect of the interpretation of these and the identification and practice of non‐core values.