In Defense of Openness

Reviews / Votes

Van der Vossen (Chapman) and Brennan (Georgetown) have written a lively, cogently argued work that will be of interest to anyone who cares about global justice, and will be particularly valuable for college courses... Summing Up: Essential. * CHOICE * Must the poor in means and spirit always be with us? Read this book and discover why poverty and oppression is most effectively addressed by championing world-wide freedom of expression, association and trade, thus helping the poor to help themselves to entrenchment." -Vernon Smith, Professor of Economics, Finance, and Law, Chapman University Most global-justice writers favor a regulatory model to address global issues such as poverty. This model is significantly flawed because it overlooks the role of free markets in the reduction of poverty. This brilliant book, in contrast, shows that global justice should center on global freedom and economic growth. It rejects proposals of a world welfare agency and recommends instead lifting unjust barriers to global trade and mobility. I predict that this beautifully-written and tightly-argued book will make a lasting contribution to the global justice debate." -Fernando R. Teson, Tobias Simon Eminent Scholar and Professor of Law, Florida State University College of Law Bas van der Vossen and Jason Brennan have done a superb job bringing economic theory and moral analysis to bear on the some of the most pressing issues in contemporary political philosophy. Everyone working on the ethics of immigration, foreign aid and/or global justice should pay close attention to this very important and timely book." -Christopher Heath Wellman, Professor of Philosophy, Washington University in St. Louis