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Beyond Small-Is-Beautiful: A Buddhist and Feminist Analysis of Ethics and Business

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  • Julie A. Nelson

Abstract

Buddhist philosophy teaches a thoroughly relational ontology, holding that what really is are relations and processes enfolding out of a common substrate though time. Often, however, attempts to apply Buddhist thinking to economic issues seem to forget this. Corporations and markets are described in the language of substantive structures and impersonal mechanisms, rather than in relational and process terms. This essay argues that a thorough-going Buddhist analysis, supplemented by contemporary insights from feminist theory, yields a relational understanding of business firms and markets that can help move debates about ethics and business beyond issues of scale.

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  • Julie A. Nelson, "undated". "Beyond Small-Is-Beautiful: A Buddhist and Feminist Analysis of Ethics and Business," GDAE Working Papers 04-01, GDAE, Tufts University.
    • Handle: RePEc:dae:daepap:04-01
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    File URL: http://www.bu.edu/eci/files/2020/01/04-01BeyondSmall.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Timothy A. Wise, "undated". "The Paradox of Agricultural Subsidies: Measurement Issues, Agricultural Dumping, and Policy Reform," GDAE Working Papers 04-02, GDAE, Tufts University.
    3. Charlotte M. Karam & Michelle Greenwood & Laura Kauzlarich & Anne O’Leary Kelly & Tracy Wilcox, 2023. "Intimate Partner Violence and Business: Exploring the Boundaries of Ethical Enquiry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(4), pages 645-655, November.
    4. Teik Aun Wong & Mohammad Reevany Bustami, 2020. "A Case Study of Micro Businesses in Jelutong Wet Market in Penang, Malaysia: Implications for CSR Scholarship," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 535-546, September.
    5. Abeysuriya, Kumudini & Mitchell, Cynthia & White, Stuart, 2007. "Can corporate social responsibility resolve the sanitation question in developing Asian countries?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 174-183, April.
    6. Martins, Nuno Ornelas, 2022. "Sustainability and development through the humanistic lens of Schumacher and Sen," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).

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