Introduction to the thematic issue ‘Moral Economy: New Perspectives’

What is it about?

This is an introduction for a collection of articles on moral economy. The motivation for it comes from a project entitled ‘The Moral Economy of Global Civil Society: A History of Voluntary Food Aid’, funded by the Swedish Research Council. It is based on invited contributions to a workshop on ‘Moral Economy: New Perspectives on Humanitarian Relief and Global Civil Society’ that took place at Södertörn University in Stockholm from 31 October to 1 November 2013, and additional articles, some of which were submitted in response to an open call for papers.

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Why is it important?

While the traditional core issue addressed by the concept of moral economy has been the exploration of alternatives to economic liberalism, many current approaches consider ways in which economic liberalism may be amended. With its multitude of perspectives the special issue to which this article is the introduction seeks to take the debate a step further. It has fulfilled its purpose if it stimulates philosophers and others in the humanities and social sciences to join the broad discourse about the moral economy.