An Analysis of the Interaction between Development Economics and Ethics

Economists you usually believe in distinction between economics and ethics. While ethical issues are embedded in economic phenomena, and they are a source of their explanations which have so far been neglected. This neglect is more evident in development economics than other branches of economics. This paper tries to indicate that “ethics” is a related matter in economic issues, especially in development economics. The analysis of three ethical areas, i.e. values, economic reforms and inequality - which play role in economic development - show that ethical problems are not easy to tackle in Development Economics. Development ethics was introduced to address the ethical problems in development economics though seemingly economists’ updated analytical tools do not suffice and they are required to interact with philosophers of “ethics”.