Cambridge Journal of Economics Advance Access published online on June 25, 2009
Cambridge Journal of Economics, doi:10.1093/cje/ben048
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Moral political economy and moral reasoning about rural India: four theoretical schools compared
* University of Manchester, UK
Address for correspondence: Room G-11, The Cathie Marsh Centre for Census & Survey Research, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; email: wendy.olsen{at}manchester.ac.uk
This paper explores a pluralist approach to moral economy in two ways. First, as a review, four major schools of thought on the rental of land in India are described. I focus on their normative and ontic assumptions. Second, noting that none of these schools is value-neutral, a plurality of six complex moral reasoning strategies emerge from this review. The advantage of the social researcher doing an overview of these normative positions is that we can compare and contrast the meta-criteria that are used. The six moral reasoning strategies are a neoliberal growth strategy, a human capabilities approach, a redistribution approach, a transformative approach, a social equality approach, and a Pareto-optimality approach. The study of these six strategies leads toward the conclusion that more research on complex moral reasoning strategies is called for, because combining them rapidly leads to difficulties. Scientific research can provide evidence to underpin and shape the moral reasoning that takes place in real-world dialogues and debates.
Key Words: Tenancy • Pluralism • Strategies • Moral economy • Norms • Moral reasoning • Sharecropping
JEL classifications: B5, O17, O12, O53
Manuscript received November 21, 2005; final version received April 21, 2008.