The moral limits of markets

Economics writer Daniel Ben-Ami will introduce a discussion on Michael Sandel’s What Money Can’t Buy: the moral limits of markets. Sandel argues there is an urgent need for a public debate about how far market values, rather than just the market economy, should be allowed to go. In his view excessive marketisation leads to social corrosion and extreme inequality.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the true extent of marketisation in America and Britain? Consider not just the economy but the social impact of market encroachment.
2. At what point do market values become excessive?
3. To what extent does marketisation corrode social bonds and a sense of a common identity?
4. How do market values relate to the inequality debate?