Market for Virtue or Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger

Market for Virtue: The Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility

Author: David Vogel

In the highly praised The Market for Virtue, David Vogel presents a clear, balanced analysis of the contemporary corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement in the United States and Europe. In this updated paperback edition, Vogel discusses recent CSR initiatives and responds to new developments in the CSR debate. He asserts that while the movement has achieved success in improving some labor, human rights, and environmental practices in developing countries, there are limits to improving corporate conduct without more extensive and effective government regulation. Put simply, Vogel believes that there is a market for virtue, but it is limited by the substantial costs of socially responsible business behavior.

Environment, April 2006 - Robert N. Stavins

"David Vogel brings a refreshing breath of fresh air and objective reporting to a polarized debate. For those who are not already familiar with CSR debates, this book provides a superb introduction, with abundant references to the claims and hypotheses of the advocates, empirical data with which those claims and hypotheses can be tested, and statistical evidence and case studies. . . . Vogel has made an important contribution and has advanced scholarship in this realm with his book."

Perspectives on Politics

"Vogel's argument is a rebuke to those who want fat profits and easy consciences, too. His analysis is particularly sharp at questioning conventional assumptions."

Financial Times - Simon London

"In a world filled with hot air on the subject, it is refreshing to find such a clear-and concise-assessment of CSR's pros and cons."

The Washington Post - Steven Pearlstein

"For my money, the clearest thinking on the subject [of CSR] is found in a new book by David Vogel. He finds that good corporate citizenship is neither necessary nor sufficient for business success."

What People Are Saying

Robert B. Reich
"Until now, corporate social responsibility has been a term in search of meaning. In The Market for Virtue, David Vogel not only defines it but gives a revealing insight into its strengths and weaknesses. Here is the definitive guide to what corporate social responsibility can and cannot accomplish in a modern capitalist economy."
—University Professor of social and economic policy, Brandeis University, and former U.S. Secretary of Labor

Susan Ariel Aaronson
"Although there is clearly a market for virtue, demand and supply are out of sync. David Vogel provides needed clarity about the costs, benefits, ambiguities, and potentia l of corporate social responsibility. This comprehensive, well-written, and well-researched book is useful to CSR practitioners, other executives, policymakers, scholars and others seeking new insights into the complex market for corporate social responsibility."
—senior fellow, Kenan Institute at the University of North Carolina

John G. Ruggie
"This book is by far the most systematic and balanced analysis of corporate social responsibility as a means for firms to create social value beyond their immediate economic functions. It carefully examines not only the opportunities but also the limits of CSR in the absence of explicit regulations. The study combines sound logic with illustrative cases, and advances the sophistication of the CSR debate considerably."
—Harvard University, co-architect of UN Gloal Compact

Table of Contents:

	Preface to the Paperback Edition
	Preface to the First Edition
1	The Revival of Corporate Social Responsibility	1
2	Is There a Business Case for Virtue?	16
3	What Is the Demand for Virtue?	46
4	Corporate Responsibility for Working Conditions in Developing Countries	75
5	Corporate Responsibility for the Environment	110
6	Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights and Global Corporate Citizenship	139
7	Beyond the Market for Virtue	162
	Notes	175
	Index	207

Interesting book: Exploring Leadership or Fashion From Concept to Consumer

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity

Author: Ronald J Sider

Do you want to make a true difference in the world? Dr. Ron Sider does. He has, since before he first published Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger in 1978. Despite a dramatic reduction in world hunger since then, 34,000 children still die daily of starvation and preventable disease, and 1.3 billion people, worldwide, remain in abject poverty. So, the professor of theology went back to re-examine the issues by twenty-first century standards. Finding that Conservatives blame morally reprehensible individual choices, and Liberals blame constrictive social and economic policy, Dr. Sider finds himself agreeing with both sides. In this new look at an age-old problem, he offers not only a detailed explanation of the causes, but also a comprehensive series of practical solutions, in the hopes that Christians like him will choose to make a difference.

Table of Contents:

17

Foreword	xi
Preface to the Twentieth Anniversary Edition	xiii
Acknowledgments	xix
PART ONE: POOR LAZARUS AND RICH CHRISTIANS
1. A Billion Hungry Neighbors	1
New Economic Divisions in the World	3
Uneven Distribution	5
Famine Redefined	7
Poverty's Children	9
Making Progress	12
Population	14
Limits to Growth?
The Future and Our Response	17
2. The Affluent Minority	21
Promises, Promises	22
Where Did It All Begin?	23
How Affluent Are We?	24
Poverty at $40,000 a Year?	30
How Generous Are We?	31
Rationalizing Our Affluence	33
PART TWO: ABIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE POOR AND POSSESSIONS
3. God and the Poor	41
Pivotal Points of Revelation History	42
God Identifies with the Poor	49
God's Special Instruments	50
Why Does God Cast Down the Rich?	52
God's Concern and Ours	57
Is God on the Side of the Poor?	63
4. Economic Fellowship and Economic Justice	67
Capital in an Agricultural Society	68
The Year of Jubilee	69
The Sabbatical Year	72
Laws on Tithing and Gleaning	74
Models to Follow and Avoid	75
Jesus' New Community	77
The Jerusalem Model	79
Economic Koinonia	83
How Then Shall We Live?	89
5. Thinking Biblically about Property and Possessions	91
Private Property	91
The Danger of Riches	95
The Ring and the Beloved	99
Righteousness and Riches	101
Carefree Living	104
6. Social Evil: Sin Embedded in Societal Systems	10 9
The Old Testament	111
The New Testament	117
God's Response	118
PART THREE: WHAT CAUSES POVERTY?
7. Poverty's Complex Causes	125
Sinful Personal Choices	125
Unbiblical Worldviews	126
Disasters	127
Lack of Technology	128
Great Inequalities of Power	128
Western Colonialism	133
8. Structural Injustice Today	137
Evaluating Market Economies	139
International Trade	147
The International Debt Crisis	153
Destroying the Environment and the Poor	157
Eating Food from Hungry Nations	166
Multinational Corporations in Developing Countries	171
Repentance	184
PART FOUR: IMPLEMENTATION
9	Toward a Simpler Lifestyle: The Graduated Tithe and
Other Modest Proposals	189
The God of North America	191
Some Examples	192
The Graduated Tithe	193
Communal Living	196
Guidelines for Giving	197
Some Practical Suggestions	198
Evaluating Organizations	200
How Generous Are We?	204
The Sabbath and Our Lifestyles	206
A Call for Loyalty	207
10. Watching Over One Another in Love	209
A Sociological Perspective	211
New Patterns of Christian Community	213
A Congregation of House Churches	214
The Individual House Church	218
"All Things in Common"	219
Glass Cathedrals in an Age of Hunger?	220
The Triple Five Plan	221
11. Making the World More Fair	223
Ambulance Drivers or Tunnel Builders?	224
Who Will Be Helped?	227