Joseph Heath Books

The Market Failures Approach to business ethics is at the forefront of this work, emphasizing the balance between economic freedom and moral responsibility. It argues that profit-seeking must align with market institutions' goal of efficiency in goods and services allocation. The book explores its implications for business strategy, corporate governance, and shareholder primacy, offering a comprehensive and philosophically grounded framework for understanding ethical practices in capitalism. This foundational perspective aims to shape future discussions in business ethics.

COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses across all aspects of society. What can it tell us about the reality of Western civilization?

This book analyses tensions that arise between the principles of social justice and the need for cooperation to advance collective goals.

"N political theory, the traditional model of state power was that elected officials make policy decisions which are then faithfully executed by a lower cadre of public servants. The complexity of the modern state, however, leaves this model outdate. The vast number of economic and social problems it confronts is such that a great deal of rule-making power is now delegated to a class of civil servants. Yet many political philosophers have not taken this model up, and the field has ignored the important role played by the class of "permanent" state officials--the "deep state" as some call it--in liberal states.In most liberal democracies for example, the central bank is as independent as the supreme court, yet deals with a wide range of economic, social, and political issues. How do these public servants make these policy decisions? What normative principles inform their judgments? In The Machinery of Government, Joseph Heath attempts to answer these questions. He looks to the actual practice of public administration to see how normative questions are addressed. More broadly, he attempts to provide the outlines of a "philosophy of the executive" by taking seriously the claim to political authority of the most neglected of the three branches of the state. Heath both provides a corrective to the prevailing tendency to underestimate the contribution of civil servants to the success of liberal-democratic welfare states, and suggests a more satisfactory account of the principles implicit in public administration"

Lehnen Sie die Konsumkultur ab? Den Verpackungskram, den Reklamerummel? Eine Modeindustrie, die Jagd auf Ihre Kinder macht, mit dem Ergebnis, dass außer Klamotten von Replay und Schuhen von Nike nichts mehr in die Tüte kommt? Willkommen im Club. Denn selbst in knappen Zeiten gehört in Deutschland eine konsumkritische Haltung fast schon zum guten Ton. Mit einer paradoxen Konsequenz: Versandhäuser, die sich von der industriellen Massenfertigung abwenden und nur teure Design-Produkte vertreiben – die so genannten „guten Dinge“ – florieren. Filme wie American Beauty oder Fight Club, die sich gegen die Entfremdung des modernen Menschen in der Warenwelt wenden, machen Kasse; und Gesellschafts-Kritiken wie Naomi Kleins No Logo halten sich monatelang in den Bestsellerlisten. Offenbar funktioniert der Kapitalismus bestens und stellt sich auch noch auf die Nachfrage nach konsumkritischen Produkten ein. Aber wie können so viele Menschen das Konsumdenken ablehnen und trotzdem an einer Konsumgesellschaft teilnehmen? Dieser Frage sind die Autoren in ihrem schnellen Buch über Gegenkultur und Scheinrebellion nachgegangen, in dem es genauso um große Autos und schicke Lofts geht wie um Baudrillard und Douglas Adams, Star Trek und Sigmund Freud.