Exploring the intersection of economics, ethics and Catholic Social Thought
The True Wealth of Nations Project from the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC arises from the conviction that implementing a morally adequate vision of the economy will generate sustainable prosperity for all.
Under the leadership of Daniel K. Finn, professor of Economics and Theology at St. John’s University, and the late Paul Caron, former head of JP Morgan in Belgium and Switzerland, IACS organized the first True Wealth of Nations conference in 2008. The resulting volume, The True Wealth of Nations: Catholic Social Thought and Economic Life, was published in 2010 by Oxford University Press.
The success of that first meeting inspired an ongoing multidisciplinary exploration of the intersection of economics, ethics, and a broad range of social sciences with Catholic Social Thought.
Published volumes include: The Moral Dynamics of Economic Life: An Extension and Critique of Caritas in Veritate; Distant Markets, Distant Harms: Economic Complicity and Christian Ethics, and Empirical Foundations of the Common Good.
The project’s conference, “Agency, Self-Interest, and the Moral Legitimacy of Business in Catholic Social Thought” convened in June 2018.
The resulting volume, Business Ethics and Catholic Social Thought, is available from Georgetown University Press (2021).
Business Ethics and Catholic Social Thought
A comprehensive overview of the contribution of Catholic social thought to business ethics, the IACS publication “Business Ethics and Catholic Social Thought” focuses on the agency of the business person and the interests of firms, and outlines fundamental issues facing moral leaders and corporations committed to responsible business practices.
