It was at the fifth SEEP-Conference on Economic Ethics and philosophy in autumn 1997 that the organizational work of the seventh conference in 1999 was entrusted to the editors of this volume. Prof. Peter Koslowski, series editor of The Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy, SEEP, expressed the hope that the SEEP-Conference be held in the Far-East for the fist time would bring a new comparative aspect to economic ethics and philosophy. Further, the agenda of economic ethics seemed to increase its significance also in Japan and other Asian countries especially due to the spread of corruption in the government and business under the financial crisis that attacked these nations in the late 1990s. Though we chose "Com­ petition, Trust, and Cooperation" as the general theme of the conference, this should include the collusion, distrust, and corruption as the opposite side of the medal. The conference was held on March 10-12, 1999 at the Kansai Seminar House of the Nippon Christian Academy, Kyoto, Japan. Fourteen papers were submitted to the conference. In addition to twelve papers that are printed in this volume, Prof. Ruisheng Wang (Capital Normal University, Beijing) read his paper on ethical problems in the context of Asian financial crisis and Prof. Agnar Sandmo (Norwegian School of Economics and Busi­ ness Administration) did the same by his paper on societal aspect of the competition promotion policy.

Economic ethics in theory and cultural context

One Basic Considerations.- 1 Trust as a Virtue.- 2 Trust and Sympathy in the Social and Market Order.- 3 Evaluating Trust, Competition and Cooperation.- 4 Ethics in Exchange and Reciprocity.- Two Historical and Comparative Perspectives.- 5 Contemporary Relevance of the Idea of 'Sympathy' in Adam Smith.- 6 Trust and Cooperation in German Romanticism: Adam Müller's Position in the History of Socio-Economic Thought.- 7 Evolution, Competition, and Cooperation from a Socio-Philosophical Viewpoint.- 8 The Pitfall of Modern Japan.- 9 Confucianism in the Context of Economic Crisis in Korea.- Three Modern Economic and Political Issues.- 10 The Shareholder Value Principle and the Purpose of the Firm.- 11 (Un)ethical Behavior in Business: A Reward-Punishment Probability Framework.- 12 Redistribution and Recognition: Normative Theories and the Political Economy of Welfare States.- List of Authors.- Index of Names.