Book contents
- Out of Poverty
- Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society
- Out of Poverty
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Anti-Sweatshop Movement
- 3 The Economics of Sweatshop Wage Determination
- 4 Don’t Cry for Me Kathie Lee
- 5 Health, Safety, and Working Conditions Laws
- 6 The Rana Plaza Disaster and Its Aftermath
- 7 Save the Children?
- 8 Is It Ethical to Buy Sweatshop Products?
- 9 A History of Sweatshops, 1780–2019
- 10 The Process of Economic Development
- 11 What Good Can Activists Do?
- 12 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - Is It Ethical to Buy Sweatshop Products?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2025
Book contents
- Out of Poverty
- Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society
- Out of Poverty
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Anti-Sweatshop Movement
- 3 The Economics of Sweatshop Wage Determination
- 4 Don’t Cry for Me Kathie Lee
- 5 Health, Safety, and Working Conditions Laws
- 6 The Rana Plaza Disaster and Its Aftermath
- 7 Save the Children?
- 8 Is It Ethical to Buy Sweatshop Products?
- 9 A History of Sweatshops, 1780–2019
- 10 The Process of Economic Development
- 11 What Good Can Activists Do?
- 12 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter argues that it is ethical to buy sweatshop products. It explains why arguments to the contrary made in the business ethics literature fail, why sweatshops are not wrongfully exploitative, and why it is better to benefit workers a little bit rather than not at all. It also considers how background injustices impact the ethics of sweatshop employment, and finally reviews issues of worker autonomy and goals other than the welfare of sweatshop workers.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Out of PovertySweatshops in the Global Economy, pp. 118 - 137Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025