Does the Free Market Corrode Moral Character?

Over the past decade, the effect of the market economy and globalization on moral values has been vigorously debated in academic circles, in the press, and among citizens and politicians. With the current crisis in American and international financial institutions, the discussion has gained new urgency. To encourage deeper engagement with these issues, the John Templeton Foundation recently asked more than a dozen leading scholars and public figures to write short essays responding to the question, “Does the free market corrode moral character?”

On February 5, Governance Studies at Brookings and the John Templeton Foundation will host a panel discussion, moderated by Senior Fellow E.J. Dionne Jr., with Brookings Senior Fellows Rebecca Blank and William Galston, and William McGurn, former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush and former chief editorial writer of the Wall Street Journal.

After the program, the panelists will take questions from the audience.