How entrepreneurs can respond to Pope Francis’ call for economic justice
The pope’s gathering of economists in Assisi next month is part of a long process of establishing a new economic model that goes beyond financial self-interest, writes the social entrepreneur Felipe Witchger.
As an entrepreneur, I try to draw on the best of the cooperative movement, the B-corp movement, the regenerative business movement and others that offer creative frameworks for a more equitable society. I find resources like Reinventing Organizations, by Frederic Laloux, useful in helping me embody a deeper Catholic ethic in my organization’s culture. But in terms of a unifying school of thought to ground us in an integrated ethic of economic praxis, I am excited to encounter the logic and openness of civil economy and learn from young economists and entrepreneurs in Assisi. My hope is that this civil economy tradition and Pope Francis’ gathering brings more depth and heft to the “solidarity economy” movement, the New Economy Coalition, the Next System Project, the Worker Co-op movement and, most urgently, the Impact Investing world. Each is making important contributions that I am grateful for, but I am searching for a school of thought and a community of praxis with a soul.
