The Global Economy and Moral Obligation

1
The Global Economy and Moral Obligation

• Two kinds of duties
• Negative dutythe duty not to harm.
• Positive dutythe duty to help.
• We may have special obligations to our
  compatriots, but
• We have a duty not to harm persons that applies
  to everyone.

2
Harm and the Global Economy

• Global economic and political arrangements that
  harm people in developing countries.
• Supporting bad governments and coups
• Resource privilege
• Borrowing privilege
• Corrupting government officials
• Selling weapons
• Unfair trade arrangements.
• Restrictive borrowing policies.
• Working conditions that people in developed
  countries would not tolerate.
• Environmental degradation.

3
Harm and Obligation in the Global Economy

• Since we have an obligation not to harm people,
  we have an obligation to resist harmful global
  arrangements, and/or to volunteer or contribute
  to organizations that are helping (e.g. Oxfam,
  Doctors without Borders).