Definition/Introduction
Contract theory refers to a model of reasoning in political theory and in ethics more generally in terms of which authors aim to demonstrate the normative validity of a rule, principle, or institution, thereby making it plausible to a certain audience. In political theory these principles and institutions are often the authority of government, law, and other main social institutions. The contract model then provides a solution to the problem of “political obligation,” i.e., it gives an answer to the question “why should we obey government and the law?” In ethics the contract metaphor is used to provide a justification for the system of norms as a whole.
The core of the contract model is the idea that such a norm or institution binds a certain target group or audience addressed if it can be shown that under certain carefully specified...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Akkerman BA (1980) Social justice in the liberal state. Yale University Press, New Haven
Donaldson T, Dunfee T (1999) Ties that bind: a social contracts approach to business ethics. Harvard Business School Press, Cambridge
Gauthier D (1986) Morals by agreement. Oxford University Press, New York
Habermas J (1981/1984–7) The theory of communicative action (trans: McCarthy TA). Beacon Press, Boston
Hampton J (1986) Hobbes and the social contract tradition. Cambridge University Press, New York
Hobbes T (1651/1968) Leviathan (ed: MacPherson CB). Penguin, Middlesex
Kant I (1793/1991) ‘On the common saying: this may be true in theory, but it does not apply in practice’, translated by H.B. Nisbet HB. In: Reiss H (ed) Kant’s political writings. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Locke J (1690/1988) Two treatises of government (ed: Laslett P). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Nozick R (1974) Anarchy, state and utopia. Basic Books, New York
Rawls J (1971) A theory of justice, revised edn 1999. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
Rawls J (1985/1999) Justice as fairness: political not metaphysical. In: Freeman S (ed) Collected papers. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA/London
Rawls J (1996) Political liberalism. Columbia University Press, New York
Rousseau JJ (1973) Discourse on the origin of inequality’ (1750) and ‘The social contract’ (1762), both included in The social contract and discourses, translated and introduction by Cole GDH. Everyman
Scanlon TM (1998) What we owe to each other. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
Sugden R (2018) The community of advantage: a behavioural economist’s defence of the market. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Walzer M (1983) Spheres of justice: a defence of pluralism and equality. Basic Books, New York
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Wempe, B. (2019). Contract Theory. In: Poff, D., Michalos, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_71-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_71-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences