The connection between economics and ethics is as old as economics itself, and central to both disciplines. It is an issue that has recently attracted much interest from economists and philosophers. The connection is, in part, a result of the desire of economists to make policy prescriptions, which clearly require some normative criteria. More deeply, much economic theory is founded on the assumption of utility maximization, thereby creating an immediate connection between the foundations of economics and the philosophical literature on utilitarianism and reasons for action. In fact, some...

Globalization and increased integration has impacted on quality of life and living standards across the world. Attempts to evaluate the impact on income dispersion from this process have been extremely controversial.
This new volume is the first real attempt to build up indices and a theoretical framework to deal with inequality of opportunity, and in order to enable social and political institutions to monitor increasing disparities in well-being and social exclusion. It examines the possible relationships between the recent acceleration in economic integration and inequality among...

Providing readers with a multi-faceted assessment of the implementation of fiscal policies in the euro zone and their macroeconomic effects five years after the inception of the euro, this book is the first reliable reference source for discussions in this area for both academics and policy makers.