Human Rights and the Ethics of Globalization

Human Rights and the Ethics of Globalization provides a balanced, thoughtful discussion of the globalization of the economy and the ethical considerations inherent in the many changes it has prompted. The book’s introduction maps out the philosophical foundations for constructing an ethic of globalization, taking into account both traditional and contemporary sources. These ideals are applied to four specific test cases: the ethics of investing in China, the case study of the Firestone company’s presence in Liberia, free-trade and fair-trade issues pertaining to the coffee trade with Ethiopia and the use of low-wage factories in Mexico to serve the US market. The book concludes with a comprehensive discussion of how to enforce global compliance with basic human rights standards, with particular attention to stopping abuses by multinational corporations through litigation under the Alien Tort Claims Act.

Author Biography

Daniel E. Lee is Professor of Ethics and director of the Center for the Study of Ethics at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Hope Is Where We Least Expect to Find It (1993), Generations and the Challenge of Justice (1996), Navigating Right and Wrong (2002) and Freedom vs Intervention (2005). He has also published op-ed pieces in USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers and is a published poet and author of fiction. Elizabeth J. Lee is Assistant Federal Public Defender in Houston, Texas. She received her JD from Northwestern University School of Law and served as a clerk at the Center for International Human Rights there. She also clerked for Arizona Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Ryan and has published an article in the Global Studies Journal.