Ethical foundations for a market economy
The Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics (CEME) helps people in business and public life think seriously about markets and enterprise from an ethical perspective rooted in the Christian tradition. We believe that many of the most pressing questions today are not purely technical matters of economics, finance, or politics. Instead, they require the kind of broader moral and cultural thinking that these disciplines alone cannot provide.
Questions that many had considered settled — about the merits of free trade, the dangers of price controls, the costs of mounting public debt — are once again live political debates. Persistent low growth, perceptions of deepening inequality, and the erosion of trust in institutions have unravelled the economic and political consensus that defined recent decades. And new challenges like artificial intelligence, the future of work, and environmental sustainability have emerged, increasing demands for a more interventionist state. Purely economic analyses of these issues seem insufficient, and there are growing questions about the values that should guide our economic and social life.
We explore the ethical foundations of a market economy, drawing on the Christian tradition to set questions of markets, enterprise and public policy in their broader moral and cultural context. We pursue this through research, publications and events that bring together Christians of many traditions alongside those who, without sharing the faith, value its contribution to Western moral and intellectual life — equipping people in business and public life to think seriously about these questions, and to act on what they find.
Explore our work across three areas:
We think there are three propositions around which many people can agree:
