Description
In what ways can economic inequality undermine the proper functioning of democracy? Are carbon taxes morally desirable, also in non-ideal circumstances? How can green industrial policy be designed to respect, or even further, egalitarian goals? What is the value of economic growth? What are the moral harms and benefits of (labor) market competition?Questions at the intersection of ethics and economics are hotly debated both in academic philosophy and in public policy circles. The aim of this summer school is to bring together graduate students and recently completed PhDs working on economic ethics and take a deep-dive into philosophical debates about climate change, labor markets, and taxation, with some of the leading researchers on these issues.
The goals of the course are threefold:
1. Gaining a deeper understanding of some of the main approaches in economic ethics and how these can be used to analyse contemporary challenges, in particular in the design of the tax system, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and labour market regulation.
2. Reflecting on how economists, legal scholars, political scientists, and political philosophers can fruitfully work together on topics in the field of ethics and economics.
3. Meeting other early career researchers working in the field of ethics and economics, broadly conceived.
Monday 22 June 2026 – Theme: Taxation
13:00 – 13:30 Arrival
13:30 – 14:00 Welcome and introductory round
14:00 – 15:30 Lecture 1: Bruno Verbeek (Leiden University): instrumentalism about taxation
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee/tea
16:00 – 17:30 Lecture 2: Marco Meyer (University of Hamburg): taxation and global interdependence
17:30 – 19:00 Break
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
Tuesday 23 June 2026 – Theme: Climate change
09:00 – 10:30 Lecture 3: Kian Mintz-Woo (University College Cork): the ethics of carbon taxation
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee/tea
11:00 – 12:30 Lecture 4: Jamie Draper (Utrecht University): just transitions
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Lecture 5: Constanze Binder (Erasmus University Rotterdam): on sustainability justice
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee/tea
16:00 – 17:30 Lecture 6: Julie Rose (Dartmouth): on the value of economic growth (and degrowth)
17:30 – 19:00 Break
18:00 – 19:30 Dinner at Erasmus Paviljoen
19:30 – 21:00 Lecture 7: Anca Gheaus (Central European University): one crisis to solve another: the place for care in the future of work
Wednesday 24 June 2026 – Theme: Labor markets
09:00 – 10:30 Lecture 8: Yvette Drissen (Tilburg University): the ethics of competition
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee/tea
11:00 – 12:30 Lecture 9: Daniel Halliday (Melbourne University): employment as a hierarchical relationship
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Lecture 10: Nicholas Vrousalis (Erasmus University Rotterdam): exploitation
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee/tea
16:00 – 17:30 Lecture 11: Joseph Heath (University of Toronto): consequences of the inalienability of human capital
18:00 – 19:30 Dinner at Erasmus Paviljoen
19:30 – 21:00 Lecture 12: Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen): the democratic marketplace
Lecturers:
Constanze Binder (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Jamie Draper (Utrecht University)
Yvette Drissen (Tilburg University)
Anca Gheaus (Central European University)
Daniel Halliday (University of Melbourne)
Joseph Heath (University of Toronto)
Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen)
Marco Meyer (University of Hamburg)
Kian Mintz-Woo (University College Cork)
Julie Rose (Dartmouth)
Bruno Verbeek (Leiden University)
Nicholas Vrousalis (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
| Period | 22 Jun 2026 → 24 Jun 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Course |
| Location | Rotterdam, NetherlandsShow on map |