Animals and the Economy

Authors: Steven McMullen



This book explores the economic institutions that determine the nature of animal lives as systematically exploited objects traded in a market economy. It examines human roles and choice in the system, including the economic logic of agriculture, experimentation, and animal ownership, and analyses the marginalization of ethical action in the economic system.

Animals and the Economy demonstrates that individual consumers and farmers are often left with few truly animal-friendly choices. Ethical participants in the economy must either face down an array of institutional barriers, or exit mainstream markets entirely. This book argues that these issues are not necessary elements of a market system, and evaluates a number of policy changes that could improve the lives of animals in the context of a market economy.

Table of contents

Front Matter

Introduction

The Place of Animals in the Economy

The Ethical Logic of Economics

Giving Consumers What They Want?

Ethical Consumer Action

Competition and Moral Complicity

Regulating Animal Use

Animal Experimentation

Property Rights and Animal Rights

Ownership and Animal Oppression

A New Kind of Ownership

Conclusion

Back Matter