Title: Economic morality and Jewish law /
Authors: Levine, Aaron
Publisher: Oxford University Press,
Year: 2012
Subjects: Jewish law Economic aspects.; Mishpat Ivri Economic aspects.; Economics Religious aspects Judaism; Jewish ethics; Law and economics.; Law and ethics.
Abstract: Aaron Levine compares the way in which welfare economics and Jewish law determine the propriety of an economic action, whether by a private citizen or the government. Espousing what philosophers would call a consequentialist ethical system, welfare economics evaluates the worthiness of an economic action based on whether the action would increase the wealth of society in the long run. In contrast, Jewish law espouses a deontological system of ethics within which the determination of the propriety of an action is entirely a matter of discovering the applicable rule in Judaism's code of ethics.
Contents: A tale of two sermons (derashot) : Jewish law's deontological ethics at work -- The sale of the birthright and the bilateral monopoly model -- The coase theorem as treated in Jewish law -- Price controls in Jewish law -- Reviving Yehoshua B. Gamla's vision for Torah education -- Aspect of the lemons problem as treated in Jewish law -- The living wage and Jewish law -- Short selling and Jewish law.