Economic Analysis of Moral Order: An Analytical Perspective on Altruistic Behavior

Author: Wang Yuzhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: From the analysis of the entire book, the author attempts to provide an analytical framework for a moral order based on altruism from an economic perspective. Although this framework still appears somewhat naive and immature in some places, the book also contains innovative aspects. First, regarding another important form of human survival—cooperation, the author analyzes it from the perspectives of "economic man" and "moral man." Second, starting from case studies, the author examines corporate ethical behavior from an economic perspective. Addressing the "vacuum" in economic theory's analysis of corporate ethical issues, this book treats existing organizations as moral communities and provides analyses of both interorganizational altruism and intraorganizational altruism from the perspective of maximizing collective interests. Finally, using the established principal-agent model between the government, government officials, and civil servants, the author tentatively applies the specifications of "moral man" and the "economic man" behavior during the implementation process to analyze the widespread phenomenon in society of using work resources for non-work-related consumption. Combining China's reality, the book highlights the inherent issues of institutional altruism.