Investing as if People and Planet Mattered

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If we examine the lessons of the financial crisis, we can see that a system built on both trust and the rational value-maximizing paradigm is fostering conflicts. The current situation therefore provides us with a unique opportunity to study the role of ethics in the financial system and to make concrete suggestions as to how to implement improved business codes of conduct. This article touches on two key areas in this development: the general public’s investments and the education of actors in financial markets.

After the storm

In the developed Western world, the preservation of fundamental aspects of human well-being sometimes seems to rank as peculiarly low priority. The effects of non-monetary value are frequently disregarded: success and prestige are typically associated with wealth. Environmental concerns are often ignored in favour of GDP. And third world humanitarian catastrophes are likely to receive only the amount of attention from the global community equivalent to their influence on the global economy.

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