Thematic Villages

Paradox or obvious? Delusion or challenge?

Mainstream economics can lead to a reduced vision of nature and the human being. Which anthropological vision is needed to rethink management? What is the purpose of business? What should be the criteria of performance? How do we rethink relationships at work? Is there room for giving and gratuitousness in business? Can business be a life-giving place? This village will explore new approaches to sustainable management that contribute to the “Economy of Francesco.”

Keywords: Business, common good, community, gratuitousness, leadership, meaning, relationship, sustainability, work.

Unleashing the potential of good capital by restoring faith in finance that promotes the well-being of people

“To stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for society” (Laudato Si, n. 128). This village will address this “golden rule” of finance and economics in search of proposals and best practices. Trust is fundamental to investments that work for the common good. And trust is grounded in human connection. How and when can finance become inclusive and serve humanity?

Keywords: Impact-for-good investing, good wealth community, capital finance and exclusion, sharing, sustainable and intergenerational finance, nature as a common good and not as a commodity, democratization of finance, financial education.

Care as a work of value: new cultural perspectives of work activity

Every woman and man on the earth is called to take care of creation. People provide necessary care for each other, they care for (and harm) the earth, and they can “take care” through their work. Thus, work needs to be taken care of through an “integral human ecology” perspective, as Pope Francis asks of us. This village will aim at exploring both work and care and the possibility that they can develop together, in the context of the profound technological, social and regulatory transformations that we are experiencing. We will seek to find ways to work and care that honour our responsibility to love and respect one another and all of creation.

Keywords: new skills, training for the jobs of the future, sustainable economy, job creation, social security, demography, smart working, work/life balancing, gig-economy, labour standard protections, labour market inclusion.

End of the world or end of the month?

From the Green Deal to the “Social” Green Deal: for a future where energy does not divide, does not pollute, and includes the most fragile people. Our economic paradigm is based currently on infinite growth with the resultant increase in energy needs and cost of energy production. As usual, the poor are the ones who pay the bill – the least responsible but the most affected. Is it possible to build a model in which poor people will benefit from the energy transition of a renewable energy system? Can we take advantage of this prophetical time so that the poor do not foot the bill?

Keywords: Energy transition, renewable energy, energy poverty, energy sharing, smart territories, third industrial revolution, plant capitalism, regen villages, hydrogen revolution, energy storage.

The role of agriculture in dealing with huge climatic changes, the world’s growing population, and increasing land related conflicts, demand profound reflection and rapid action. Climate change is robbing millions around the world of their livelihoods. Work rights, the right to water, the resettlement of indigenous populations, challenges related to food security, the production of biofuels, and new technologies, are just some of the challenges that agriculture needs to face. How can we link justice to sustainable agriculture in order to preserve our planet? How do peasants and farmers handle the economic challenges and opportunities of globalized world markets in times of huge climate change?

Keywords: food and agriculture, work in rural areas, climate change, Human Rights, local economy, biodiversity, future generations, the dignity of farmers.

Peace is a goal that has to be actively promoted. Peace is often endangered by inequality, economic vulnerability, poverty and injustice. Economic problems are very often at the root of conflicts, both local and international, yet, at the same time, the economy, businesses and the markets may work towards the promotion of more peaceful and egalitarian relations, aimed at mutually advantageous outcomes and, ultimately, the common good. How do economic activities impact the emergence of conflicts? Can a well-functioning market be an antidote to conflict? What is the role played by big companies in preventing or favouring conflicts and their causes? What can the impact be of social and environmental sustainability practices in order to foster conflict resolutions? What is the role of banks, the financial sector and ethical investors in promoting social conflicts?

Keywords: Peace, environmental conflicts, global justice, the community of advantage, consumer pressure, “sin” industries, re-conversion.

For a more inclusive, equitable and person-centered economy

How can we contribute to foster the full recognition of the capacities of women, both in developing countries (DCs) and the least developed countries (LDCs)? Task division, management of scarce resources and time, cooperation and power sharing, combining different abilities, identification of problems and intuition of innovative solutions, conciliation of production and care – these are some of women’s generative talents, often downgraded as “merely” soft skills, which must flourish in the global world. This village aims to invent, create and share new organizational models, new styles of governance and leadership, new forms of enterprise, new tools for inclusion, and good practices for work-life balance.

Keywords: women’s entrepreneurship, care, work-life balance, women’s leadership, inclusion.

We live in a world of growing inequalities. The most researched inequalities today relate to economic variables. However, economic inequalities can both cause and be determined by many other types of imbalances, such as those related to health and life expectancy, educational achievement, well-being, functioning and capabilities, social support, ecological footprint, democratic power, human rights and gender empowerment. To build an economy that is regenerative and inclusive “by design” and that no longer produces even a single victim – a single person cast aside – we must first understand the aetiology of inequalities and then imagine an economic system that inspires and facilitates personal development, human connectivity and empathy.

Keywords: Global(in)equality, deprivation, capabilities, future, empowerment, opportunities, social exclusion, distribution.

Work as the call for a purposeful life!

We spend 30% of our time working towards other objectives. How can we build a workplace or an eco-(nomic) system, where people can flourish and find their vocation? How can we weigh properly the value of money from work in relation to the value of building an enterprise with purpose? Why not work with our intuition to drive ourselves and our organizations towards a better world? Why not connect these things and spend our energy on a common and greater call? How can we merge our vocations purposefully and our common goals, such as sustainable development goals (SDGs), environmental, social and governance criteria (ESGs), the common good and benefit corporations? And how about measuring first the common generated impact rather than the financial aspect?

Keywords: people empowerment, purposeful business, safe workplace, gender inclusion, common good, SDGs, ESGs, benefit corporations.

The economy is facing great transformation as a result of the environmental crisis, the technological revolution and the social changes they entail. Increasingly then, companies are called upon to respond to these profound transformations that affect not only their products / services and the way that they are produced, but also their purpose and their relationships both internally (work, governance, property, production …) and externally (the common good, reputation, impact, inclusion, consumption …). In this village, we will share experiences and proposals on how to make this transition without casting people aside, but rather including the poorest and most vulnerable.

Keywords: hybrid enterprises, entrepreneurship, empowering, innovation, valuing creation, governance, responsibility, social and environmental impact, sustainable business.

A way of life – not “away” from life

“We need to correct models of growth […] guaranteeing respect for the environment, openness to life, concern for the family, social equality, dignity of workers and the rights of future generations.” In these words, Pope Francis asks for more responsible behaviour in terms of consumption, production and decision-making with the aim of ensuring a worthwhile life for everyone. We will discuss and experience the contribution each one of us – whether citizen, company, organization, politician, etc – to combat the culture of waste and propose new ways of life. This is linked intimately to the debate regarding measurement of wealth and well-being.

Keywords: Education, environment, participation, sustainability, responsible production and consumption, self-restraint, consumer sovereignty, vulnerability/immunity, development and well-being indicators.

Individual and social welfare, relations in families, communities and cities

What is the purpose of human life that economic policies should endorse and promote? If it is happiness, how does self-reported happiness compare with other measures of well-being such as capabilities, human flourishing, opportunities, freedom and so on? As we learn more and more how relationships are key to happiness, should economics abandon its methodology based on individualism and consider also the family and other communitarian dimensions of human life as legitimate agents of social welfare? And finally, what are the socio-economic policies that foster all these dimensions? Our village will explore new and more happiness-friendly ways of assessing, measuring and pursuing well-being in worldwide practices and public policies both from macro and microeconomic perspectives.

Keywords: happiness paradox, quality of life, measures of social welfare, individual, person, family, communities, organizations, civil economy, smart cities.