Value (ethics)

About: Value (ethics) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 21347 publications have been published within this topic receiving 461372 citations.

Conceptions of value in environmental decision-making

Abstract: Environmental problems have an ethical dimension. They are not just about the efficient use of resources. Justice in the distribution of environmental goods and burdens, fairness in the processes of environmental decision-making, the moral claims of future generations and non-humans, these and other ethical values inform the responses of citizens to environmental problems. How can these concerns enter into good policy-making processes? Two expert-based approaches are commonly advocated for incorporating ethical values into environmental decision-making. One is an 'economic capture' approach, according to which existing economic methods can be successfully extended to include ethical concerns. For example, stated preference methods, especially contingent valuation, have been developed to try and capture ethical responses as 'non-use values' of the environment, in particular 'existence values'. The other is a 'moral expert' approach which confines economic methods to the analysis of welfare gains, and assumes committees of ethical experts will complement economic expertise. Both approaches face problems in terms of addressing many widely held ethical values about the environment. Furthermore, both face problems concerning the democratic legitimacy of their procedures. How can policy-making be made responsive to different ethical values? What role is there for new deliberative and participatory methods? How far do existing decision-making institutions have the capacities to incorporate different modes of articulating environmental values? This policy brief examines the limitations of current attempts to capture ethical values within existing economic instruments and considers how these limitations might be overcome. Section 1 examines the assumptions that standard economic theory makes about individuals when they express values and make choices about the environment. The current models of agents that inform policy-making are seen to be ill-suited to incorporating the ethical responses of agents and this reveals some of the policy failures that may result. Section 2 shows how the physical and social properties of many environmental goods prevent their being treated as commodities. Section 3 considers the problems surrounding conceptions of fairness and legitimacy in processes for environmental valuation. Section 4 raises questions concerning the capacities of policy-making institutions to take cognisance of the results of different methods for articulating environmental values.

A Feminist Perspective on COVID-19 and the Value of Care Work Globally.

Abstract: The shared response to the COVID-19 crisis demonstrates that the vast majority of society believes human well-being - not economic growth - should be at the center of policy. COVID-19 exposes the foundational role of care work, both paid and unpaid, to functioning societies and economies. Focusing on "production" instead of the sustainable reproduction of human life devalues care work and those who perform it. Women's physical and mental health, and the societies that rely on them, are at stake. When these policies are formulated, the field of feminist economics has valuable lessons for mitigating hardships as countries navigate the related economic fallout. A comprehensive response to the COVID-19 crisis must recognize this gendered work as an integral part of the economic system that promotes human well-being for all.

Unlocking Sustained Business Value from IT Investments

Abstract: Surveys continue to highlight that most senior business executives are dissatisfied with the value they believe their organizations are deriving from investments in information technology. What is often forgotten is that IT in itself has no inherent value. This value must be unlocked, and only business executives and users can do this. While most IT investments are usually accompanied by a technology implementation plan, few organizations ever construct a plan focused on realizing the business benefits. This article explores how organizations can unlock business value from their IT investments by adopting a two-stage view of implementation. This model distinguishes between "problem-based" interventions and "innovation-based" interventions. Unlocking business value from IT investments is a journey not a destination and this journey requires careful planning.

Irreducibly social goods and the informational basis of Amartya Sen's capability approach

Abstract: This paper argues that Sen's capability approach requires that judgements about the relative goodness of states of affairs must be based exclusively on ‘properties’ of individuals. Functionings and capabilities are seen, like utility and opulence, as objects of value which individuals have—achieved or attainable effects which are disembedded from the institutional contexts of human activity. If such contexts are intrinsically valuable for individual well-being, as some ‘communitarians’ argue, the capability approach is inappropriate for assessing social justice, societal well-being and development, and inequalities in individual well-being across cultures or in multicultural societies. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A guide map to the terrain of gift value

Abstract: This article integrates a broad range of gift-giving literature into a conceptual framework that puts the all too often overlooked construct of personal value at its core Although there have been substantial contributions from the fields of anthropology, sociology, economics, and consumer behavior, efforts to model gift giving have failed to put the value of the gift-giving experience at the center of the exchange Within this article, a model of the gift-giving experience that overcomes this critical shortcoming is proposed The model establishes clear categories for breaking the giving process into easily examinable elements, and it is argued that although the concept of value is not a simple one, it should be central to any examination of the gift-giving phenomenon © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc