The Challenge for a More Human and Fraternal Economy
The Catholic Church is heir to a rich tradition of reflection offering guidance to society and individual persons in their beliefs and their relationships with God, with themselves, with others and with nature.
Over the course of history, the Church has called mankind to strive toward a civilization shaped by the spirit and principles of Christian love. At the end of the 19th century, facing profound social change in connection with industrial development, the Church began to formally articulate its social message.
Beginning with Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII, in 1891, addressing new exploitative forms of economic organization and reactionary ideologies, that message has continued to deepen. Ever since, Papal social encyclicals have taught the demands of justice and peace in society and the meaning of true development in conformity with divine wisdom and in connection with contemporary issues. These encyclicals have increasingly challenged Catholic academics, business and financial professionals with the urgency of infusing market economy with Christian culture and with the importance of Catholic contributions toward a vision of a humane economy and its realization.
The core of MCE Research Centre’s mission is to respond to this challenge.
Research Areas
• Catholic Social Thought
MCE and its network of scholars are dedicated to making the Church’s social encyclicals accessible by translating them into clear, concrete language. Through dialogue with the public, they offer a Catholic perspective on the most urgent challenges of our time and promote a vision of global development that is truly inclusive, free, and just.
• History of Economic Thought
MCE, by rediscovering economic thought and social theory, highlights the fundamental role of culture and ethics in shaping economic and social life. At the same time, it underscores the importance of a deeper anthropological vision to guide the social sciences toward a more human and sustainable future.
• Humanistic Management, Human Flourishing and Business Management
MCE adopts a management approach based on virtue ethics, placing the human dimension of work at the center. From this perspective, it identifies practices and policies that foster the development of people within organizations, showing how this, in turn, fuels the growth and success of the organization itself.
• Social Innovation in Business and Finance
MCE explores the role of social innovation and finance in the contemporary world, examining the performance of innovative economic and financial models in promoting more inclusive development. At the same time, it highlights how businesses can contribute to building a more just and human-centered economy.
• Interreligious Dialogue, Justice, and Peace
MCE explores the connection between interreligious dialogue, justice, and peace, analyzing how the exchange between cultures and religions can foster a fairer and more harmonious society, and studying the role of religions in promoting social justice and intercultural integration. Through an interdisciplinary approach, this research area aims to build bridges between communities of different faiths, contributing to more inclusive and conscious coexistence.
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