About

Markets, Ethics, and the Law

At the center of the unique academic model of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics lies its five-year focus on an in-depth study of a specific, interdisciplinary theme, within the broad world of ethics and its relevance to various aspects of human society. Since in practice the basic expression of ethics often takes the form of rules and laws and is marked by their respective implementation and enforcement, the legal aspect is critical to the study and to the development of ethical norms, hence the natural link between the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and the Buchmann Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University.

The research theme chosen for the current five years (2017-2022) is “Markets, Ethics, and the Law.” In this framework, questions of law, morals and ethics, and more specifically, topics such as the limits of the market, the social responsibility of market actors, the distributive effects of markets, and the normative implications of their globalization are examined in various markets and from a variety of angles such as economics, business administration, sociology, history, political science, political philosophy and more.

Research conducted under the Center’s theme may focus on specific markets (such as labor or housing), or specific foundational concepts (such as property, contract, corporations, money), or explore market configurations that diverge from the “capitalist canon.” The promotion of research and the exchange of views regarding the chosen theme are achieved through the Center’s interdisciplinary research groups and the international conferences supported by the center, as well as by the scholarships and grants offered by the Center, alongside further academic activities, most notably the Fellows Program.