Rethinking Economics Starting from the Commons Towards an Economics of Francesco

This book proposes a new approach to economics, starting from the commons and based on the Economy of Francesco (EoF), a worldwide movement of young people who aim to change the current economic models and working towards a fair, sustainable, and inclusive economic system. EoF was convened by Pope Francis and is inspired by the example of St. Francis of Assisi, featuring Franciscan economic roots and institutions, as well as theories of the social sciences.

Chapter 1. Economics and the Commons: History, Tragedies, and Some Exercises.- Chapter 2. Expanding the Notion of the Commons: Is Love the Greatest Commons in Which We Should Thrive?.- Chapter 3. Economics and the Ethics of Care.- Chapter 4. Economics and the Ethics of Care: A Response.- Chapter 5. Franciscan Wealth. The Roots of Franciscan Economic Thought.- Chapter 6. Franciscan Wealth. The Roots of Franciscan Economic Thought: a Comment.- Chapter 7. The Power of Purposeful Business.- Chapter 8. ‘Growing the Pie’ in a Catholic Social Thought Perspective.- Chapter 9. Generating Commons Makes Cities Alive.- Chapter 10. Preserving Our Commons: Call to Action.- Chapter 11. Winning Ideas: Lessons from Free-market Economics for the Economics of Francesco.- Chapter 12. Possible Paths to Follow in Francesco’s Economy. Based on the Analysis of Sabina Alkire and Agnus Richie and the Experiences Walked So Far.- Chapter 13. Moral Sentiments, Social choice and the Commons.- Chapter 14. Where Are“we” in the Economy? - Some Reflections on the Place of Moral Sentiments and the Commons in Redefining Economics.- Chapter 15. The Economy of Francesco and the Age of Sustainable Development.- Chapter 16. Gratuitousness.- Chapter 17. Peace, Faith, and Economy.- Chapter 18. Peace, Faith, and Economy. A Comment.

Valentina Rotondi is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland (SUPSI), Lugano, Switzerland, and an associate researcher at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and Nuffield College, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. She defines herself as a social scientist with training in behavioral and applied economics and a focus on research on gender inequalities, demography, and development. Rotondi has a Ph.D. in economics from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy.

She is a member of the scientific committee of the international movement "The Economy of Francesco”.

Paolo Santori holds a Ph.D. in Sciences of Civil Economy from LUMSA University in Rome (supervisor: Luigino Bruni) with a dissertation on the History of Economic Thought, based both on philosophical and theological studies. Currently, he is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences at Tilburg University. 

He defines himself as a philosopher at the crossroads between economic thought and theology. His research interests lie in the area of Philosophy of Economics – including topics in History of Economic Thought, Theology & Economics, Business Ethics. Overall, he believes that today Economics is in need of biodiversity, meaning heterogeneous approaches and ideas. His research paths show that the pluralism that economics seeks can be derived from the history of ideas. History is like the roots of a tree; roots reveal not only the tree’s past but also its possible future. 

He is a member of the scientific committee of the international movement "The Economy of Francesco”.