Italia - Treviso, 11/03/2010

Written by Antonella Ferrucci Tuesday, 09 March 2010 18:29

Convegno con la partecipazione di Stefano Zamagni

Il cuore di carne dell'economia

11 marzo 2010, ore 18.30
Collegio Pio X
Borgo Cavour, 40
31100 Treviso

"Il cuore di carne dell’economia" è il titolo del convegno organizzato per l’11 marzo di Treviso dalle Acli provinciali, Banca Etica, Caritas, Giuristi Cattolici, Movimento dei focolari e Ucid, in collaborazione con Federsolidarietà, pastorale Sociale del lavoro e pastorale Scolastica della diocesi di Treviso, Progetto Solidarietà e cooperativa Pace e Sviluppo.

Intervengono Stefano Zamagni sul tema ‘La rinnovata teoria economica al servizio dell'uomo e dell'ambiente a partire dall'enciclica Caritas in Veritate’ e mons. Gianfranco Agostino Gardin, vescovo della diocesi di Treviso, che introdurrà i lavori.
vedi locandina

Video - Overcoming the Crisis Starting from the Bottom

Written by Antonella Ferrucci Tuesday, 09 March 2010 09:07

The economic thought in Caritas in Veritate - XXIII segment

Luigino Bruni - Overcoming the Crisis Starting from the Bottom

Reciprocity and Gratuitousness in the Market

Written by Luigino Bruni Tuesday, 23 February 2010 12:55

Bruni, Luigino

Reciprocity and Gratuitousness in the Market

The proposal of Caritas in Veritate

Reciprocity and gratuitousness in the market

Belem: a Seminar that went Beyond Expectations

Written by Antonella Ferrucci Thursday, 04 March 2010 11:32

One-hundred twenty-five participants from all over Brazil, at the Formation Seminar on Cooperation Projects for Development

Belem: a Seminar that went Beyond Expectations

As Leo Andringa earlier announced on this site, from Jan. 30 - Feb. 6, 2010, the first "Formation Seminar on Cooperation Projects for Development took place in the small town of "Mariapolis Gloria", in Belem, Brazil. The seminar was organized and carried out together with the non-profits Action for a United World (AMU), Action for New Families´ (AFN) Adoption at a Distance, the International Commission of the Economy of Communion (EoC) and Youth for a United World (GMU). The seminar was appropriately held in Brazil, remembering that since the beginning of the Focolare Movement´s spread, the start of social works was one of the country´s characteristics. On this fertile ground, the work of AMU took hold with projects of integrated development (for example, the Magnificat project in Maranhão) by AFN, with support through Adoption at a Distance (for example, the Santa Maria School in Recife), the timely interventions of the Youth for a United World in emergency situations, and the EoC´s creation of new jobs and support given for families in need.

The seminar was attended by 125 people, coming from all over Brazil, with various qualifications and professional experience and lots of expectations. There were two main goals: come together to bring about a culture of development and cooperation that is characterized by reciprocity, identifying how the characteristics originating from Chiara Lubich´s charism influence particular behavior in this field; and contribute to forming local workers with the ability necessary to elaborate and manage development and assistence projects.

EoC Entrepreneurs Meet Together and with Others

Written by Andrea Penazzi Thursday, 04 March 2010 07:50

Many appointments these days in Lombardy

EoC Entrepreneurs Meet Together and with Others

In the last few weeks, EoC entrepreneurs of Lombardy were able to meet with one another at Frontignano di Barbariga (BS), after the appointment in Gussago last September. Then, there are three other upcoming occasions to point out, in which some of these entrepreneurs will have the chance to share their experience with others:
- Besnate (VA), Friday 05/03/2010
- Sermide (MN), Wednesday 10/03/2010
- Cremona, Friday 19/03/2010.

Last February 20-21, EoC entrepreneurs from the Province of Lombardy and Novara and Verbania set a date in Frontignano di Barbariga (BS). After a similar appointment in September of 2009 (and a few afternoon meetings at the various businesses during these months), it was time to meet again all together (30 participated). The meeting was characterized by an intense dialogue over the founding aspects of the project (sharing experiences after reading "The Guidelines for Running an EoC Business", dividing profits). Benedetto Gui was also able to participate, opening the horizon to a global dimension, as well as Cesare Pastore, who reviewed the various aspects that link the businesses to the Polo Lionello Bonfanti Industrial Park in Loppiano.

Microfinance: Giving Credit to Relationships

Written by Antonella Ferrucci Friday, 26 February 2010 17:18

Book review of Microfinance by Antonio Androni and Vittorio Pelligra, Il Mulino Publisher

Microfinance: Giving Credit to Relationships

In 2006, Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank, historical promoter of microcredit programs, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. From that moment onwards, many commentators and specialists literally "jumped on the winner´s wagon," excessively inflating the number of articles and publications on microfinance. During these three years, we have heard two main versions: those who claim to redirect the success of microcredit to a sterile technical and operative question, and those instead who have described it - maybe even more disturbingly - as a "bucolic" phenomenon of rustic solidarity.

Evidently, both campaigns propose an erroneous or at least reductive image of the phenomenon. Andreoni and Pelligra have already been studying this topic for an unquestioned amount of time, and the merit of their book rests in the fact that it is able to successfully frame the phenomenon of microfinance within a well-defined methodological furrow. This innovative, and never as before necessary, operation allows the authors to provide an adequate and unified foundation - theoretical and philosophical-cultural - to the phenomenon of microfinance in its multiple dimensions.

Impresa Sociale on Edc: Introduction

Written by Luigino Bruni e Luca Crivelli Monday, 15 February 2010 19:55

Bruni, Luigino and Luca Crivelli

Introduction to the Issue of Impresa Sociale on Economy of Communion

1. One of the strongest and clearest messages that come from these times of crisis is the economic and ethical insuffiencency of a capitalism founded on its own interests and on "sad passions". The market economy, in order to be able to continue to bring fruit to civilization, needs a supplement of humanity, of an anthropological and moral refoundation that makes it evolve into something else - an economic system more tailor-made to the person – without having to renounce the values and conquests that the market has brought and brings to the areas of individual liberty and equality.

This issue is dedicated to the experience of the Economy of Communion (EoC), which readers will have the chance to know better under various aspects. The EoC is a project of social entrepreneurship involving around 750 businesses, but which is also a more articulate and universal proposal of supportive and relational economic behavior. The inspirational moment of the concrete project took place in Brazil, in May of 1991, while Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, was visiting the movement´s community of Sao Paulo. However, its roots dig much deeper: into the history of the early times of the Focolare in Trent, during World War II; in the Franciscan charism from which Chiara drew her first inspirations (and her own new name as a tertiary: her baptismal name was Silvia); and in the Trentino cooperative tradition, in which Chiara grew up and was formed.

Either the economy is open to the person or it becomes inhuman

Written by Fabio Colagrande Wednesday, 17 February 2010 17:30

A reflection on the words of the Pope at the Caritas Youth Hostel in Rome

Either the economy is open to the person or it becomes inhuman

Rediscover "the propelling force of development" in charity. Pope Benedict XVI launched this invitation last week during his visit to the Caritas Youth Hostel at the Roma Termini Train Station, and it had a persistent echo. It is still only possible to unite these indications of the Pope with the criterion that regulate the economy if - as the Pope himself repeats - the human person is placed at the center of market and finance and not interests. Luigino Bruni, associate professor of Political Economy at the University of Milano-Bicocca, reaffirms this conviction while speaking with Fabio Colagrande.

"Charity is in the person who acts," he said. "It is in the person, not in the structures. Therefore, the idea that, if the economy forgets that its propelling element - that is, what innovates and what becomes the standard of truth and justice in the economic system - is the human person and not capital, not institutions, not finance, etc., then this economy leaves the human realm over time. It´s not longer human. Therefore, I believe that the Pope´s message is an appeal that calls economy back to its humanism: either the economy is open to charity, open to full and total love, which Christianity has brought, or it not only goes into crisis but it becomes inhuman. The Pope reminds us that we can get out of this crisis, from any crisis, with charity - being that "excess", that "something more", which is the person capable of going beyond simple duties to open himself or herself to gratuitousness."

The Strength of Gift

Written by Maria Grazia Baroni Monday, 01 March 2010 18:50

The theoretical and practical contributions that reciprocity and gratuitousness can give to civil economy, at the presentation of the Dictionary of Civil Economy by Cittá Nuova.

The Strength of Gift

By Maria Grazia Baroni

Published on Cittanuova.it on 01/03/2010

On Friday, February 26, the Dictionary of Civil Economy was presented at Holy Cross Pontifical University of Rome. This book is one of Cittá Nuova Publishers most awaited new releases for the beginning of this year. Although various people participated in the presentation, all gave different and interesting contributions from doctrinal, political and entrepreneurial stand-points.

A pressing question arose from the beginning: what can a dictionary of economy, and particularly civil economy, contribute to the current crisis? Professor Stefano Zamagni, professor of Political Economy at the University of Bologna and one of the books editors, was the one to explain the answer to us. "Civil economy arose in the 14th century," he said. "The term civitas, always linked to an inclusive vision, even in the Roman world, contains in itself an openness to reciprocity. The term should be compared to the word politics, which derives from polis and instead has the principle of exclusion at its base."

Work Ought to be Saved, Sought and Created

Written by Luigino Bruni Wednesday, 24 February 2010 10:46

Faced with the serious employment crisis, it´s time to do something

Work Ought to be Saved, Sought and Created

Benedict XVI recently reaffirmed the need to "do all that is possible to safeguard and increase employment." The center of the economic system must be held by the person, even today, and especially today. Technological, financial and social capital are certainly important, but "human capital", the workers, remains the key factor in an economy that wants to be person-friendly. Instead, the global economic and financial crisis strongly shows that human labor is decidedly relegated to the backdrop of our capitalistic development model, which, being always more in the hands of finance, has lost contact with the fatigue of work.

On the other hand, this serves consumption, giving life to one of the most worrying phenomenon of our time: the chase after consumer products. But history teaches us that peoples develop when the "competitive" tendency of human beings is not expressed primarily through consumption (one competes by possessing cars and phones that are more expensive than those of others) but rather in work and production. Besides, this crisis should have taught us that the only kind of wealth that produces true well-being is that which results from human labor. Promises of wealth without work are always suspicious and are very often individual and social bluffs.

Special Issue of Impresa Sociale

Written by Antonella Ferrucci Sunday, 14 February 2010 22:45

The Special Issue of Impresa Sociale on the EoC, dedicated to Chiara Lubich, has been published

Special Issue of Impresa Sociale

Impresa Sociale - July/September 2009

Impresa Sociale is a monographic journal, edited by Euricse, the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Sociale Enterprise, in Trent. Having begun more than 19 years ago, the journal has brought ahead a visionary and pioneering mission: to promote, accompany and help the complex reality of non-profit in Italy to self-evolve. The journal has followed all the stages of social and entrepreneurial growth in this sector, becoming always more important. It is now one of the sector´s major points of reference.

The latest issue to press, N.3 of 2009, is entirely dedicated to the Economy of Communion. As Luca Fazzi writes in the journal´s editorial, "This issue of the Journal, dedicated entirely to the topic of the Economy of Communion, wants to provide important stimulus for reflection, considering within which boundaries can one legitimately speak about social businesses and highlighting, at the same time, how the challenge of doing social business is that of contaminating the non-profit world with that of the market."

Italy - Incisa Valdarno (FI), 28-29/05/2010

Written by Antonella Ferrucci Thursday, 20 August 2009 16:37

From the 28-29 of May, 2010, the University Institute Sophia is organizing an INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR:

The Charismatic Principle in Economic and Civil Life: History, Theory and Good Practice

January 30 is the last day to send in paper proposals!

In May of 2010, the University Institute Sophia of Loppiano (Florence, Italy) will promote an international seminar titled: "The Charismatic Principle in Economic and Civil Life: History, Theory and Good Practice".

Among the objectives of the meeting is that of finding new paths in the dialogue between the institutional and charismatic dimension applied to the economic and social contexts. The basic consideration is that in the history of economy, of society and of religion, the charismatic dimension is often left in the shadows. To understand social and economic life inside and out, what is proposed is to analyze it not only in its institutional profile, but to also put into evidence the charismatic dynamics.

Call for papers

Ethos of the Market

Written by Luigino Bruni Monday, 28 December 2009 17:03

Luigino Bruni

Bruno Mondadori, Milano, 2010

In the last two centuries, capitalism has reached extraordinary economic, technological and civil results, playing an important role in transforming society. Howver, it has lost on the playing ground of fraternity. That is why, today, capitalism has become obsolete. The crisis at the beginning of the third millenium (from terrorism to the environment, from finance to energy) shows with extraordinary strength that the market economy is using up every force of social and incivilizing change, because we´re paying the consequences in the area of individual freedom with the coins of environment and social relationships.