Mark D. White

Here is the call for papers for the Association for Social Economics sessions at the next ASSA meetings in Chicago in January 2012:

CALL FOR PAPERS

Allied Social Science Association meetings
Chicago, IL -- Jan. 6-8, 2012

“The economics of social responsibility”

The concept of social responsibility holds that individuals, communities, businesses, and governments should consider the consequences of their actions for others -- avoiding behaviors that limit the options or erode the wellbeing of others, and favoring those which enhance them. Examples of important SR initiatives include: Corporate Social Responsibility, Socially Responsible Investment, Social Enterprises, microfinance, Socially Responsible Lending, sustainable banking and finance, ethical and sustainable consumption, local- and organic-food sourcing, fair-trade supply chains, sweat-free labor standards, and ‘green sourcing’ by businesses and governments. Issues of social responsibility have been little studied in economics, despite their obvious theoretical, empirical and policy interest.

For the ASE sessions at the 2012 ASSA meetings, we welcome proposals for papers on all aspects of the economics of social responsibility. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Foundations of SR in theories of ethics and social justice
• Theories of business and individual behaviors as guided by self-interest, pro-social motives, and social norms
• Identifying what prompts businesses, consumers, industry groups, local governments, and other groups to voluntarily modify their behaviors to incorporate SR concerns
• Evidence on the impact of SR -- e.g. for slowing environmental degradation, building sustainable communities, improving livelihoods and capabilities of disadvantaged groups, etc.
• Effects of SR on business performance: Profits, productivity, employment, compensation
• Skeptical views: Is SR is “all talk and little action”?
• Comparisons of private pro-social initiatives vs. government actions as means of advancing social welfare
• Social & ethical responsibilities of the economics profession -- in research, policy-making, and the classroom

Submissions

The deadline for proposals is April 30, 2011. All proposals should include: paper title, abstract of up 250 words, authors’ names and institutional affiliations, and contact info for the corresponding author, including email address. Proposals for complete sessions are also welcome. Submissions should be sent to Martha Starr, ASE President-elect, at mstarr@american.edu.

Individuals whose papers are accepted for presentation must either be or become members of the Association for Social Economics no later than July 1, 2011, in order for the paper to be included in the program. Membership information can be found at www.socialeconomics.org.

All papers presented at the ASSA meetings are eligible for the Warren Samuels Prize, awarded to the best paper that advances the goals of social economics and has widespread appeal. Papers can also be considered for a special P&P issue of the Forum for Social Economics. Details of these opportunities will be sent to authors of accepted papers.