This session introduces a framework to analyze the rationality of actors’ behavior. Recalling the standard economic approach to rationality, its power and its limitations, we complement our approach with an ethical analysis and discuss how ethics and economic rationality combine.
Questions of this session:
What is economic rationality?
What is (un)ethical?
How do economic rationality and ethics combine?
How to assess whether an actor behaves (un)ethically?
How to communicate about (un)ethical behavior?
Preparation
Inspired by the required reading and the first five sessions of the course, select a situation in Health Management where an actor has acted unethically. Describe briefly the situation and analyze the reasons that could explain this behavior.
Required reading
Banaji, M.R., Bazerman, M. H., & D. Chugh: “How (Un)Ethical Are You?”, Harvard Business Review, December 2003
Le Menestrel, Marc: “Economic Rationality and Ethical Behaviour: ethical business between venality and sacrifice”, in Business Ethics: A European Review, Vol. 11, No. 2 (2002).
