Brings together economists, anthropologists, historians, and philosophers for an examination of the practical and ethical implications of slave redemption. This book includes essays by the editors and by Dean Karlan and Alan Krueger, Carol Ann Rogers and Kenneth Swinnerton, Arnab Basu and Nancy Chau, Stanley Engerman, and more.

Foreword by Kevin Bales vii Introduction by Kwame Anthony Appiah and Martin Bunzl 1 PART I: THE ECONOMICS OF REDEMPTION 7 Chapter 1: Some Simple Analytics of Slave Redemption by Dean S. Karlan and Alan B. Krueger 9 Chapter 2: Slave Redemption When It Takes Time to Redeem Slaves by Carol Ann Rogers and Kenneth A. Swinnerton 20 Chapter 3: An Exploration of the Worst Forms of Child Labor: Is Redemption a Viable Option? by Arnab K. Basu and Nancy H. Chau 37 Chapter 4: Slavery, Freedom, and Sen by Stanley Engerman 77 Chapter 5: Freedom, Servitude, and Voluntary Contracts by Jonathan Conning and Michael Kevane 108 PART II: ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS 141 Chapter 6: Slavery and Slave Redemption in the Sudan by Jok Madut Jok 143 Chapter 7: Dilemmas in the Practice of Rachat in French West Africa by E. Ann McDougall 158 PART III: HISTORICAL CONSIDERATIONS 179 Chapter 8: The End of Serfdom in Russia-Lessons for Sudan? by Lisa D. Cook 181 Chapter 9: Conflicting Imperatives: Black and White American Abolitionists Debate Slave Redemption by Margaret M. R. Kellow 200 Chapter 10: Frederick Douglass and the Politics of Slave Redemptions by John Stauffer 213 PART IV: PHILOSOPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 223 Chapter 11: The Moral Quandary of Slave Redemption by Howard McGary 225 Chapter 12: The Next Best Thing by Martin Bunzl 235 Chapter 13: What's Wrong with Slavery? by Kwame Anthony Appiah 249 Appendix: "They Call Us Animals," Testimonies of Abductees and Slaves in Sudan by Jok Madut Jok 259 List of Contributors 269 Index 271

"Slavery? In the modern world? Many readers will be shocked to read that human beings are still owned, bought, and sold. Editors Appiah and Bunzl present a series of essays documenting current slavery issues in a broad context as well as providing a historic context, analyzing some changes that have occurred in slave-based industries from the late 1700s to the present."--D. E. Mattson, Choice "Buying Freedom is an instructive volume on the question whether slave redemption makes sense or not. The contributions cover the most varied methodological approaches, which is certainly an asset of the book."--Paul Ramskogler, Journal of Economic Issues

"How to end slavery in the twenty-first century? Should contemporary slaveholders be paid to let their victims go? These are the key questions addressed in Buying Freedom, one of the few books on the economics and ethics of contemporary slave redemption. And these questions are crucial not only for understanding how to root out chattel slavery and similar practices in a few remote countries. They have gained new urgency with the global spread of human trafficking and the growing awareness that different forms of forced labor still exist."—Patrick Belser, Economist, Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour, International Labour Organisation"This excellent and thought-provoking collection raises both practical and moral questions about the important issue of slave redemption. Few people know that the numbers of slaves run into the millions and that so many are children. And I think few readers will anticipate that buying the freedom of slaves may bid up the price and end up causing more people to be enslaved. Fewer still will have wondered about what should be done."—Bernard R. Boxill, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

How to end slavery in the twenty-first century? Should contemporary slaveholders be paid to let their victims go? These are the key questions addressed in Buying Freedom, one of the few books on the economics and ethics of contemporary slave redemption. And these questions are crucial not only for understanding how to root out chattel slavery and similar practices in a few remote countries. They have gained new urgency with the global spread of human trafficking and the growing awareness that different forms of forced labor still exist. -- Patrick Belser, Economist, Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour, International Labour Organisation This excellent and thought-provoking collection raises both practical and moral questions about the important issue of slave redemption. Few people know that the numbers of slaves run into the millions and that so many are children. And I think few readers will anticipate that buying the freedom of slaves may bid up the price and end up causing more people to be enslaved. Fewer still will have wondered about what should be done. -- Bernard R. Boxill, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill