The usury debate, the sustainability debate, and the call for a moral economy

This article attempts to contribute to ethical perspectives on sustainabili ty initiatives by comparing the relationship between economy and society in the usury debate in early modern England and the sustainability debate in the late 20th century. This comparison highlights that the changing relatio nship between economy and society has been a self-conscious and hotly debat ed struggle among Various groups at various times in history. The article c oncludes that if sustainability is going to be a viable ethical project, it may have to reclaim access to social and political relations which have be en increasingly privatized in market economy throughout the modern period. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.