Papers by Andrew Walton
Walton, A., ‘Justice and Trade Policy’, in A. Lever & A. Poama (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Ethi... more Walton, A., ‘Justice and Trade Policy’, in A. Lever & A. Poama (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy (London: Routledge, 2019), pp. 202-213.
This chapter considers how states should shape trade policy. It surveys recent arguments in the trade justice literature on what moral principles are pertinent to trade, then considers how these principles should bear on policy formulation. It defends policy-integrationism – the view that we should shape trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy such that they combine to uphold these principles, rather than addressing particular policies to them directly. It develops this case through policy analysis of ‘qualified market access’ arrangements, where wealthy states offer preferential trade terms to developing countries that improve labour or living standards.
Moral Philosophy and Politics, 2014
This paper discusses the idea that trade -the practice of regularised exchange of goods or servic... more This paper discusses the idea that trade -the practice of regularised exchange of goods or services between nation-states for mutual advantage under an orchestrated system of rules -can generate moral duties, duties that exist between only participants in the activity. It considers this idea across three duties often cited as duties of trade: duties not to harm; duties to provide certain basic goods; and duties to distribute (certain) benefits and burdens fairly. The paper argues that these three duties seem unlikely contenders for duties thought in some sense to supervene on trade, the former two because they seem to exist regardless of the existence of trade and the latter because it seems to apply to a group more widely conceived than to be coherently thought centred on trade. It concludes that, at least across these three duties, it is more plausible to think that they are duties which, although possibly having relevance for how trade is conducted, do not emerge from the practice and are, rather, grounded elsewhere.
This paper explores the political structures suitable for the realization of John Rawls’ The Law ... more This paper explores the political structures suitable for the realization of John Rawls’ The Law of Peoples (1999). In particular, it explores whether Rawls’ principles and fundamental foundations recommend establishing global institutions and, if so, whether, and in what sense, these institutions should be democratic. It is often suggested, either implicitly or explicitly, that The Law of Peoples would operate through the bilateral and multilateral interactions of, ideally conceived, nation-states. This paper argues, on the contrary, that it would advise a series of democratic global institutions. The case is developed with respect to the idea of a global institution with the remit of regulating international trade and applied, in the contemporary context, to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This note offers reflections on qualified market access (QMA)—the practice of linking trade agree... more This note offers reflections on qualified market access (QMA)—the practice of linking trade agreements to values such as human rights, labour standards, or environmental protection. This idea has been suggested by political theorists as a way of fulfilling our duties to the global poor and of making the global economic system more just, and it has influenced a number of concrete policies, such as European Union (EU) trade policies. Yet, in order to assess its merits tout court, different perspectives and disciplines need to be brought together, such as international law, economics, political science, and philosophy. It is also worth reflecting on existing practices, such as those of the EU. This note summarises some insights about QMA by drawing such research together and considers the areas in which further research is needed, whilst reflecting also on the merits of interdisciplinary exchanges on such topics.
This paper discusses what type of sociological context is appropriate for Rawls’ ‘property-owning... more This paper discusses what type of sociological context is appropriate for Rawls’ ‘property-owning democracy’. Following certain suggestions offered by Rawls and in the work of Joshua Cohen, it explores, in particular, the kind of fraternity and social interaction suitable for citizens in Rawlsian society and the role of the state in engineering these bonds. Utilising a normative framework based on Rawls’ discussion of a property-owning democracy and various data sets, the paper argues that bonds of social trust, active participation in trade unions and enrolment in public schools, and the use of state policy to organise a mixture of public, cooperative, and private economic institutions would be suitable for a Rawlsian society to adopt because it appears that these structures are favourably connected to the ends of Rawlsian justice.
In this article I consider the connection between individual morality and Fair Trade goods. In pa... more In this article I consider the connection between individual morality and Fair Trade goods. In particular, I consider whether a number of arguments commonly advanced in defence of Fair Trade can defend the conclusion that individuals ought to purchase Fair Trade goods in particular, or whether they are sufficient to show only that purchasing Fair Trade goods is one of a number of acceptable ways to meet more general moral duties. Although various points are made in the article, its main theme is that it is difficult to show that purchasing Fair Trade goods is, even in one way, preferable to donating to charity, at least without advancing certain highly contentious moral claims. I argue that unless defenders of Fair Trade can address these issues, it will be difficult to defend the view that individuals should purchase Fair Trade goods in particular.
In this article I consider two consequentialist positions on whether individuals in affluent coun... more In this article I consider two consequentialist positions on whether individuals in affluent countries ought to purchase Fair Trade goods. One is a narrow argument, which asserts that individuals should purchase Fair Trade goods because this will have positive direct effects on poverty reduction, by, for example, channelling money into development. I argue that this justification is insufficient to show that individuals should purchase Fair Trade goods because individuals could achieve similar results by donating money to charity and, therefore, without purchasing Fair Trade goods. The second position has a wider focus. It notes both the direct effects of purchasing Fair Trade goods and possible indirect effects, such as the impact this might have on other individuals. I argue that certain actions, of which Fair Trade is one example, will be more likely to encourage individuals who would not otherwise contribute to poverty reduction to contribute and that this may produce additional positive value. Although space prohibits specific conclusions about Fair Trade, I note that considerations of this kind could give us reason to purchase such goods beyond those that issue from the direct effects of doing so and that, as such, they are crucial for determining whether individuals should purchase Fair Trade goods.
This article categorises the emerging conceptualisations of Fair Trade and explores which of them... more This article categorises the emerging conceptualisations of Fair Trade and explores which of them offers the best characterisation of the project. It introduces Fair Trade and establishes a set of desiderata to guide the process of conceptualisation. It is argued that the practices and rhetoric of the project suggest it is best characterised as an attempt to establish a form of interim global market justice in a non-ideal world. Three alternative conceptualisations are explored, some including sub-categories. In each section a description of the view is outlined and it is argued that each such alternative is either an unpersuasive account of Fair Trade or cannot better the one already defended. In the final section the normative debate surrounding Fair Trade conceptualised as an attempt to establish interim global market justice in a non-ideal world is introduced. The article suggests that there are avenues for the project's ethical defence but concludes that this can be settled only with further research.
This paper defends the pertinence of global justice in the contemporary world. It accepts, for th... more This paper defends the pertinence of global justice in the contemporary world. It accepts, for the sake of argument, Nagel's view that matters of justice arise only when political authority is asserted or exercised and, connectedly, his rejection of the cosmopolitan thesis. However, it challenges his conclusion that considerations of justice do not apply beyond the state. It argues that on any plausible account of the relationship between authority and justice international institutions, such as the World Trade Organisation, are now authoritative in the right way to justify their evaluation from the point of view of justice.
Blog posts by Andrew Walton
7 pointers on writing a good referee report for a journal article
[This article was originally p... more 7 pointers on writing a good referee report for a journal article
[This article was originally posted on Politicsblog, of the journal Politics.]
Peer-reviewing articles for journals is one of the important professional contributions made by academics. But it can seem an unusual exercise when undertaken for the first time and it is a difficult art form to master. There are a number of extended resources online with useful guidance, from academics, editors, publishers, and the American Philosophical Association, and a set of links to discussions on aspects of peer-review on various blogs. Here I offer seven quick tips that are designed to help make a review useful to both an editor and an author:
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Papers by Andrew Walton
This chapter considers how states should shape trade policy. It surveys recent arguments in the trade justice literature on what moral principles are pertinent to trade, then considers how these principles should bear on policy formulation. It defends policy-integrationism – the view that we should shape trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy such that they combine to uphold these principles, rather than addressing particular policies to them directly. It develops this case through policy analysis of ‘qualified market access’ arrangements, where wealthy states offer preferential trade terms to developing countries that improve labour or living standards.
Blog posts by Andrew Walton
[This article was originally posted on Politicsblog, of the journal Politics.]
Peer-reviewing articles for journals is one of the important professional contributions made by academics. But it can seem an unusual exercise when undertaken for the first time and it is a difficult art form to master. There are a number of extended resources online with useful guidance, from academics, editors, publishers, and the American Philosophical Association, and a set of links to discussions on aspects of peer-review on various blogs. Here I offer seven quick tips that are designed to help make a review useful to both an editor and an author:
This chapter considers how states should shape trade policy. It surveys recent arguments in the trade justice literature on what moral principles are pertinent to trade, then considers how these principles should bear on policy formulation. It defends policy-integrationism – the view that we should shape trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy such that they combine to uphold these principles, rather than addressing particular policies to them directly. It develops this case through policy analysis of ‘qualified market access’ arrangements, where wealthy states offer preferential trade terms to developing countries that improve labour or living standards.
[This article was originally posted on Politicsblog, of the journal Politics.]
Peer-reviewing articles for journals is one of the important professional contributions made by academics. But it can seem an unusual exercise when undertaken for the first time and it is a difficult art form to master. There are a number of extended resources online with useful guidance, from academics, editors, publishers, and the American Philosophical Association, and a set of links to discussions on aspects of peer-review on various blogs. Here I offer seven quick tips that are designed to help make a review useful to both an editor and an author: