ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some comments about altruism, ethics and economic optimality from the point of view of hard-core economics. It describes the problematic aspects of ethics and corporate social responsibility in relation to economic and social optimality. The growing interest in ethics, social responsibility and the environment may very well be caused by markets that are too unregulated: the national authorities are not able to control the big multinational firms, and the international authorities have not yet sufficient power to do so. Ethics and corporate social responsibility may, as already mentioned, be part of a firm's PR and advertising strategies. Ethical and social responsibility can also be problematic in domestic policy both in the developed and the developing countries. Yet 'environmental and social responsibility' may also act as hidden obstacles to trade for poor countries, and protection of the production in rich countries.
