Halliday, Daniel, and John Thrasher. The Ethics of Capitalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. 

Written by economics researcher Daniel Halliday and politician-law professor John Thrasher, The Ethics of Capitalism tackles the moral and philosophical basis for a capitalist system while also analyzing how modern challenges of economic justice have changed perspectives regarding that system. It includes chapters explaining institutions of the past such as feudalism and how they contrast with modern markets, as well as finding historical precedents for the market failures of the 21st century. Most importantly, the book places economic theories and practices that are common in capitalism systems under a moral lens. In my website, I plan to use these arguments and perspectives to supplement my own analysis of the positions of Marx and Smith in particular, but also to synthesize a new perspective on modernity that is distinct from Nietzche and Heidegger. Chapters 2, 10, 11, and 12 will provide me with helpful information, as they focus primarily on the ethics of a capitalist system and how developments in modern society have interacted with capitalism.  

  Kautz, Steven J., and Arthur M. Melzer. Are Markets Moral? Edited by Steven J. Kautz and Arthur M. Melzer. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018. 

Are Markets Moral? is a collection of essays by various academics about different types of market systems, with a general theme of a debate about the morality of markets and capitalist systems. Some of the essays are direct critiques of materialism, worker exploitation, and the expanding reach of the market, including an essay by well-known sociologist Steven Lukes. Meanwhile, a few essays such as one on free enterprise by fusionist researcher John Tomasi argue for the social benefits of marketization. I’m interested in the critiques of capitalism from macroeconomic and governmental perspectives, but a thorough analysis of the rebuttals to these arguments will help me develop a well-rounded website that makes a robust argument. Additionally, I will use Arthur Melzer’s introduction documenting capitalist theory and resistance to it as an entry point to studying the history of the debate that the collection portrays.  

  Russell, Peter. The Future of Social Democracy: View of Leaders from Around the World. Edited by Peter Russell. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2019. 

In order to argue for social democracy, I had to look for case studies that would help me justify my argument. Peter H. Russell of the University of Toronto, luckily, had already collected essays from leaders across the world regarding the topic of social democratic systems. With papers on social democracy in New Zealand, Australia, the European Union, countries in Latin America, and the rejection of such policies in the United States, The Future of Social Democracy is a fantastic collection that documents the wide range of political experiments in social democracy. I was especially interested in the passage about the formation of the European Union, and the way policy in the region changed as a result of agreements by the alliance. In my website, I plan on using these case studies to explain my perspectives on social democracy and develop a new idea of how socioeconomic systems ought to work to benefit the common worker.