"Euvoluntary exchange" is one of the most important ideas of our time. I think an understanding of euvoluntary exchange motivates one to focus on the root cause

"Euvoluntary exchange" is one of the most important ideas of our time. I think an understanding of euvoluntary exchange motivates one to focus on the root cause of a worker having poor alternatives, and not the perceived injustice of a particular opportunity available to this worker. "The confusion that arises in judging exchanges that are not euvoluntary is understandable, but unfortunate. The observer, seeing the degree of inequality, or desperation of one of the parties to a potential exchange, is actually perceiving a disparity in levels of welfare of the respective BATNAs, or “Best Alternatives to a Negotiated Exchange.” This disparity is a consequence of differences that come before exchange is contemplated, and are not caused by the exchange." - Mike Munger http://people.duke.edu/~munger/euvol.pdf http://people.duke.edu/~munger/euvol.pdf