IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/buseth/v31y2022i1p281-292.html

Drop Rawls?

Author

Listed:
  • Claus Dierksmeier

Abstract

Business ethicists disagree on whether John Rawls’s political philosophy can be applied to their questions and concerns. They concur, however, that, if warranted, such an application of his theory would be highly instructive for the field. This article scrutinizes that assumption. The paper examines to what extent a normative import of Rawls’s philosophy into business ethics would indeed render adequate results. Highlighting shortcomings of Rawls in regard to several pressing concerns of contemporary business ethics, the paper ponders whether, for purposes of normative guidance and conceptual orientation, Rawls’s theory can meet the expectations that its adherents foster.

Suggested Citation

  • Claus Dierksmeier, 2022. "Drop Rawls?," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 281-292, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:31:y:2022:i:1:p:281-292
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12385
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12385
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/beer.12385?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lars Lindblom, 2011. "The Structure of a Rawlsian Theory of Just Work," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(4), pages 577-599, July.
    2. Thomas, Alan, 2017. "Republic of Equals: Predistribution and Property-Owning Democracy," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780190602116.
    3. Beitz, Charles R., 2001. "Human Rights as a Common Concern," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 95(2), pages 269-282, June.
    4. Mäkinen, Jukka & Kourula, Arno, 2012. "Pluralism in Political Corporate Social Responsibility," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(4), pages 649-678, October.
    5. Rex Martin, 2015. "Rawls on International Economic Justice in The Law of Peoples," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(4), pages 743-759, April.
    6. Abraham Singer, 2018. "Justice Failure: Efficiency and Equality in Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 97-115, April.
    7. Arnold, Denis G., 2013. "Global Justice and International Business," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(1), pages 125-143, January.
    8. repec:cup:buetqu:v:29:y:2019:i:01:p:127-141_00 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Richard Marens, 2010. "Speaking Platitudes to Power: Observing American Business Ethics in an Age of Declining Hegemony," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(2), pages 239-253, August.
    10. Neelke Doorn, 2010. "Applying Rawlsian Approaches to Resolve Ethical Issues: Inventory and Setting of a Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(1), pages 127-143, January.
    11. Freeman, R. Edward, 1994. "The Politics of Stakeholder Theory: Some Future Directions1," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 409-421, October.
    12. Singer, Abraham, 2015. "There Is No Rawlsian Theory of Corporate Governance," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(1), pages 65-92, January.
    13. Anderson, Mark W. & Teisl, Mario & Noblet, Caroline, 2012. "Giving voice to the future in sustainability: Retrospective assessment to learn prospective stakeholder engagement," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 1-6.
    14. Scherer, Andreas Georg & Palazzo, Guido & Baumann, Dorothée, 2006. "Global Rules and Private Actors: Toward a New Role of the Transnational Corporation in Global Governance," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(4), pages 505-532, October.
    15. Ananya Reed & Darryl Reed, 2009. "Partnerships for Development: Four Models of Business Involvement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(1), pages 3-37, May.
    16. Lars Lindblom, 2007. "Dissolving the Moral Dilemma of Whistleblowing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 76(4), pages 413-426, December.
    17. Blanc, Sandrine & Al-Amoudi, Ismael, 2013. "Corporate Institutions in a Weakened Welfare State: A Rawlsian Perspective," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(4), pages 497-525, October.
    18. Norman, Wayne, 2015. "Rawls on Markets and Corporate Governance," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(1), pages 29-64, January.
    19. Heath, Joseph & Moriarty, Jeffrey & Norman, Wayne, 2010. "Business Ethics and (or as) Political Philosophy," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(3), pages 427-452, July.
    20. Richard Marens, 2007. "Returning to Rawls: Social Contracting, Social Justice, and Transcending the Limitations of Locke," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 75(1), pages 63-76, September.
    21. Jukka Mäkinen & Eero Kasanen, 2016. "Boundaries Between Business and Politics: A Study on the Division of Moral Labor," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 103-116, March.
    22. Wim Dubbink & Luc Liedekerke, 2014. "Grounding Positive Duties in Commercial Life," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 120(4), pages 527-539, April.
    23. Thomas Porter, 2009. "The division of moral labour and the basic structure restriction," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 8(2), pages 173-199, May.
    24. Marc Cohen, 2010. "The Narrow Application of Rawls in Business Ethics: A Political Conception of Both Stakeholder Theory and the Morality of Markets," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(4), pages 563-579, December.
    25. Guido Palazzo & Andreas Scherer, 2006. "Corporate Legitimacy as Deliberation: A Communicative Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 66(1), pages 71-88, June.
    26. Child, James W. & Marcoux, Alexei M., 1999. "Freeman and Evan: Stakeholder Theory in the Original Position," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 207-223, April.
    27. Blanc, Sandrine, 2016. "Are Rawlsian Considerations of Corporate Governance Illiberal? A Reply to Singer," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(3), pages 407-421, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Magali Fia & Lorenzo Sacconi, 2019. "Justice and Corporate Governance: New Insights from Rawlsian Social Contract and Sen’s Capabilities Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(4), pages 937-960, December.
    2. David Rönnegard & N. Craig Smith, 2024. "A Rawlsian Rule for Corporate Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(2), pages 295-308, March.
    3. Lisa Herzog, 2017. "No Company is an Island. Sector-Related Responsibilities as Elements of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(1), pages 135-148, November.
    4. Yuliya Shymko & Sandrine Frémeaux, 2022. "Escaping the Fantasy Land of Freedom in Organizations: The Contribution of Hannah Arendt," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 213-226, March.
    5. Yuliya Shymko & Sandrine Frémeaux, 2021. "Escaping the Fantasy Land of Freedom in Organizations: The Contribution of Hannah Arendt," Post-Print hal-03597131, HAL.
    6. Klaser, Klaudijo & Pinar García, Lucía Desamparados, 2023. "Zero-rating and prioritization in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic: a Rawlsian perspective on net neutrality," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    7. Prabhir Poruthiyil, 2013. "Weaning Business Ethics from Strategic Economism: The Development Ethics Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(4), pages 735-749, September.
    8. Victor Oltra & Jaime Bonache & Chris Brewster, 2013. "A New Framework for Understanding Inequalities Between Expatriates and Host Country Nationals," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 291-310, June.
    9. Nuno Ornelas Martins, 2018. "Justice and the Social Ontology of the Corporation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 17-28, November.
    10. Arno Kourula & Guillaume Delalieux, 2016. "The Micro-level Foundations and Dynamics of Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Hegemony and Passive Revolution through Civil Society," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(4), pages 769-785, June.
    11. Mathieu Alemany Oliver, 2022. "Navigating Between the Plots: A Narratological and Ethical Analysis of Business-Related Conspiracy Theories (BrCTs)," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 175(2), pages 265-288, January.
    12. Abraham Singer, 2018. "Justice Failure: Efficiency and Equality in Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 97-115, April.
    13. Stanislas Richard, 2023. "Enough chit‐chat, strike! Deliberation and agonism in corporate governance," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 191-200, January.
    14. Pasi Heikkurinen & Jukka Mäkinen, 2018. "Synthesising Corporate Responsibility on Organisational and Societal Levels of Analysis: An Integrative Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 589-607, May.
    15. Rea Wagner & Peter Seele, 2017. "Uncommitted Deliberation? Discussing Regulatory Gaps by Comparing GRI 3.1 to GRI 4.0 in a Political CSR Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(2), pages 333-351, December.
    16. Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic & Helen Etchanchu, 2015. "Contextualizing Corporate Political Responsibilities: Neoliberal CSR in Historical Perspective," Post-Print hal-01891961, HAL.
    17. Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic & Helen Etchanchu, 2015. "Contextualizing Corporate Political Responsibilities: Neoliberal CSR in Historical Perspective," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-01891961, HAL.
    18. Wim Dubbink & Luc Liedekerke, 2014. "Grounding Positive Duties in Commercial Life," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 120(4), pages 527-539, April.
    19. Sandrine Blanc, 2023. "Deliberative Democracy and Corporate Constitutionalism: Considering Corporate Constitutional Courts," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 188(1), pages 1-15, November.
    20. Marc Cohen, 2010. "The Narrow Application of Rawls in Business Ethics: A Political Conception of Both Stakeholder Theory and the Morality of Markets," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(4), pages 563-579, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:31:y:2022:i:1:p:281-292. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26946424 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.