Cleaning Up Damage of Economic Collapse Must be Rooted in Values, Argues Sociologist
Jun 15th, 2009 • Posted in: NewsIn New Republic essay, Amitai Etzioni contends that there are not enough regulators in the world to enforce good behavior
WASHINGTON
While much of the debate over the economic crisis has focused on the need for regulation, a noted sociologist argues that ethical oversight may be the ultimate answer.
In the New Republic, Amitai Etzioni writes: “The world economy consists of billions of transactions every day. There can never be enough inspectors, accountants, customs officers, and police to ensure that all or even most of these transactions are properly carried out. Moreover, those charged with enforcing regulations are themselves not immune to corruption, and, hence, they too must be supervised and held accountable to others — who also have to be somehow regulated. The upshot is that regulation cannot be the linchpin of attempts to reform our economy. What is needed instead is something far more sweeping: for people to internalize a different sense of how one ought to behave, and act on it because they believe it is right.”
Etzioni argues that although his argument may sound far fetched, social science indicates that it is more than the fear of punishment that steers people away from bad behavior. Most areas of behavior are “extralegal,” he contends, pointing to the fact that people frequently perform actions only because they believe those actions are right, and obey many laws even though the chance of being caught or punished is quite low.
In his essay, titled “Spent: America After Consumerism,” Etzioni concludes that the most necessary transformation in normative culture is a shift away from pathological consumption and a balance between consumerism and other human pursuits.
Source: New Republic, June 17.
For more information, see: Related Newsline Commentary, May 4 — Related Newsline story, May 4 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 27 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 6 — Related Newsline story, Dec. 10, 2007.
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