Rationality, Collective Action, Institutions, and Common Goods

This course is a seminar in which we will consider variations on the question: what reasons can persons have - and under what conditions can they have them - to act together to ensure the provision of goods for the group in common. We will draw on texts from beyond ethics and philosophy: for instance, from the disciplines of economics, sociology, and anthropology. The first part of the course will explore general themes concerning reasons, rationality, collective action, contractarianism. In the second part we will consider the individual motives and institutions that are necessary to create and sustain social relations productive of a variety of goods, notably common goods. In particular, we will be concerned with the nature and moral conditions of market transactions, the governance of those transactions, the moral implications of market failure, and the governance of public goods and common pool resources.

Corvinus University of Budapest awards credits based on the ECTS system (2 ECTS credits equals 1 U.S. credit therefore, 6 ECTS credits is equivalent to 3 U.S. credits). At Corvinus University of Budapest, all classes meet for a minimum of 180 minutes per week. Contact hours are calculated through a combination of lecture hours and outside activities which can include (workshops, seminars, fieldwork activities, guest lectures, and independent work) therefore, contact hours may vary on syllabi.