This paper explores the meaning of the idea of common good as used in the classical political tradition in order to study its role in the present political economy. It first analyses the received meaning of the term ‘‘common good’’ in economics with the help of a brief sketch of its...

Catholic Social Teaching expresses the paradoxical claim that the Church «offers her first contribution to the solution of the urgent problem of development when she proclaims the truth about Christ, about herself and about man» (SRS, 41). This note discusses its implication for development...

This paper examines theses of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum about the importance of pursuing goals of social justice through the capability approach. Are considered here the reasons of such a method, whose aim is to reach development of the capabilities of every human being. It is discussed...

The article analyzes some recent episodes concerning slavery-like practices and human trafficking reports. The problem seems particularly crucial in the industrialized world where the flow of illegal migrants is directed. After a summary of the international covenants concerning slavery and its...

This paper reviews the challenge of contemporary North-American personalist economics to current mainstream pluralism, including neoclassical economics, game theory, behavioural economics, experimental economics, evolutionary economics and neuroeconomics. Personalist economics emphasises the...

This paper discusses the possibility of applying the insights provided by the doctrine of the just price to the current debate about contractual justice. After summarizing the just price doctrine and addressing the objections traditionally raised against it, the paper identifies the role that...

The paper, which acts as an introduction to the Special Issue devoted to ‘‘The whole breadth of reason’’, addresses the topic of economic rationality and discusses its strengths and weaknesses within an interdisciplinary perspective highlighting the relational dimension of agents and...

In this paper we demonstrate that in economic systems characterised by social structures founded on reciprocal trust and interpersonal relations, water is a common good. In order to verify this, we refer to an economy of reciprocity practiced by some indigenous communities of the Bolivian Andes....

Globally, the real economy of goods and services functions better than ever in human history, but the financial and monetary system remains subject to crippling crises, including a severe one in 2008. This deviation can be explained by ‘‘the power of bad ideas’’, in particular...