Machine generated contents note: 1. A prior ethical commitment 1 -- 2. Ends vs. means: consequentialism vs. contractarianism 14 -- 3. The consequentialist approach to government 28 -- 4. Enter the economists 33 -- 5. The efficiency standard, corruption and the growth of -- government 40 -- 6....

The transition from socialist to market economics is typically informed by outcomes-based social welfare theory (SWT). Institutionless, intentionally value-free SWT is ill-suited to this enterprise. The only evaluative standard to which it gives rise--efficiency--is indeterminate, and the theory...