Graduate Seminar Announcement. (Starts January 2018) 

Course Title: The role of the business firm within democratic society.

Prof. David Silver (david.silver@ubc.ca)

COMM 590B, section 002. Tuesdays 2-5 pm  

This graduate seminar will examine the role of the for-profit business corporation within democratic society. A driving question is whether we can find a normative understanding of the business firm, and thus an understanding of capitalism, which is consistent with a democratic arrangement of society. 

Half of the course will be devoted to theoretical issues and half to applied issues. We will begin by examining legal and economic theories of the firm, as well as theories from the business ethics literature. We will also draw on democratic theory, and critiques of capitalism that emphasize its incompatibility with democracy. 

The applied issues include an examination of how firms should participate in the democratic process (e.g. through lobbying or campaign donations); and, we will look at how firms should act with respect to democratically enacted regulations and taxes. This will help determine, for example, whether it is permissible for firms to avoid taxes by transferring profits to tax-havens. 

The final part of the course will be based on student interests and presentations. Some students will directly engage the theoretical literature regarding normative theories of the firm; others will focus on applied issues, bringing their specific knowledge about particular industries or societies. Either way, the aim of the course is to help students think through normative issues in their own work at the intersection of democracy and capitalism.