Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses at a relatively general level the relation between markets and fundamental values. It considers the relations between market institutions and other social institutions and practices, discussing the moral ethos of privatised industries and services in comparison with the public sector, the relevance of market institutions to questions of poverty and social justice, the role of market relations in the health service, and the idea of the 'ethical consumer'. The book shares some common ground with Shaw, particularly on the conflict between moral values and the tendency of markets to promote self-interested behaviour, but whereas Shaw explores this conflict at the level of individual motivation. It discusses the 'ethical consumer', whose decisions in market reflect ethical concerns about, for example, global justice and poverty, or animal rights, or environmental protection.