History
The Institute for Global Ethics began in a tiny fourth-floor, walk-up office on Elm Street in Camden, Maine. Founded by Rushworth Kidder, the Institute had one-and-a-half employees, and was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and a private donor.
Our first task back in 1990 was to answer a single, overarching question: Is there a core of shared moral values? Early research around this question resulted in Shared Values for a Troubled World (1994). Building on this research, Dr. Kidder designed a process for analyzing and resolving ethical dilemmas, which developed into the popular Ethical Fitness® Seminar. This, in turn, led to a second book, How Good People Make Tough Choices (1995). A third book in the trilogy, Moral Courage (2005), rounded out the conceptual thinking by highlighting the importance of taking action in the face of dire challenges.
In 1996, the Institute took these earlier concepts and began putting them into practical teaching tools for educators. The Education Department has worked with national education associations to study the role of ethics in school settings. Today, the department’s focus is on building school cultures of integrity via the Ethical Literacy® approach.
Corporate services programs were first developed in 1994. They included training, talks, corporate survey research, and consulting. In 2004, the Center for Corporate Ethics was organized to work with Fortune 500 companies, professional business associations, and with local, state, and federal government departments.
With offices in Maine, New York, England, and Canada, IGE seeks to raise the profile of values and ethics by working with foundations, other nonprofits, and global thinkers. We seek to inform the public through our weekly online publication Ethics Newsline®.
To learn more, explore our web site or contact us via e-mail or phone.
