UMSL economist David C. Rose recently talked about his new book, “The Moral Foundation of Economic Behavior,” on EconTalk, a weekly podcast of the Library of Economics and Liberty. (Photo by August Jennewein)
Moral beliefs can, and likely do, play a crucial role in the development and operation of free market societies, according to a recent book by University of Missouri–St. Louis economics expert David C. Rose.
Rose, chair and professor of economics at UMSL, discussed his book, “The Moral Foundation of Economic Behavior,” recently on EconTalk, a weekly podcast of the Library of Economics and Liberty.
He said the book’s argument is driven by a simple question: if a society’s sole objective is to maximize its general prosperity and it can choose the moral beliefs of its people, what kinds of beliefs would it pick?
His motivation for writing the book came from becoming “disenchanted with the progress we’d been making as a profession on what’s commonly now known as the development puzzle,” Rose told EconTalk.
The entire podcast can be heard here. Oxford University Press published “The Moral Foundation of Economic Behavior.” The 288-page hardcover book is available for purchase at amazon.com.
