The Oxford handbook of professional economic ethics /

The editors have assembled an all-star team of academics, economists, and others to castigate the economics profession for, in their words, "ignoring ethical challenges" and "being hostile to professional economic ethics." In three-dozen richly referenced, stand-alone essays, these scholars, in this reviewer's opinion, use their bully pulpit to take arguably unwarranted and unfair shots at the profession and its practitioners for their biases, lack of accountability, and other complementary lapses in judgment. Nevertheless, the umbrella topic--economic ethics--has been festering inside the profession for years, and whatever sins these authors may have committed, their contributions easily pass a benefit-cost test in terms of calling fouls on professional economists--in universities, Wall Street, and government--for their devil-may-care attitudes as they reap personal rewards and fame while turning a blind eye to the world around them. The individual contributions are grouped by general topic: ethical issues in economic research, economic theory, conflicts of interests, codes of conduct, economic development, serving as policy advisers, forensic economics, and economic education. The book will have limited appeal, but for the if-the-shoe-fits audience it should definitely not be ignored. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduates students, faculty, and professionals. --Allen R. Sanderson, University of Chicago