Ethics vs. economics: The issue of free trade with Mexico

The authors, one an ethicist and the other an economist, look at the issue of free trade with Mexico and other low wage rate countries from the viewpoints of their disciplines. The conclusion of the paper is that these disciplines differ on their priorities and analytical methods, not on their objectives.LaRue Tone Hosmer is professor of Corporate Strategy and Managerial Ethics at the Graduate School of Business Administration of the University of Michigan. He is the author ofMoral Leadership in Business (Irwin, 1993),The Ethics of Management, 2nd Edition (Irwin, 1991), andStrategic Management (Prentice-Hall, 1984).Scott E. Masten is associate professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Graduate School of Business Administration of the University of Michigan. His work has appeared in theAmerican Economic Review, theJournal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, and theJournal of Law, Economics, and Organization.