Economic justice

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All people have a right to dignified work, fair wages, and safe working conditions. Work is more than a way to make a living. Work is a form of participation in God’s creation.

Economic justice

The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem, however much we are asked to believe this dogma of neoliberal faith…. There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged ‘spillover’ does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society. […] What is needed is a model of social, political and economic participation that can include popular movements and invigorate local, national and international governing structures with that torrent of moral energy that springs from including the excluded in the building of a common destiny, while also ensuring that these experiences of solidarity which grow up from below, from the subsoil of the planet ― can come together, be more coordinated, keep on meeting one another. […] They help make possible an integral human development that goes beyond the idea of social policies being a policy for the poor, but never with the poor and never of the poor, much less part of a project that reunites peoples.

Example in action:

Our global economy is not based on equality, but rather depends on inequality. Wealth and natural resources are drained from the Global South into multinational corporations and countries in the Global North. Wages are kept low to increase profit margins, and the system is prone to cycles of booms and busts, leading to unemployment and loss for ordinary people. Power imbalances between working people and companies mean workers do not enjoy a just share of the profits they help create. Powerful banks and politicians argue that markets elevate everyone’s quality of life over time, but commodifying the natural world and privatizing services actually excludes the poor and pushes them to the margins.

Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada supports partners advocating for democratic alternatives, including cooperatives, labor unions and grassroots social movements. In Canada, our staff are also part of a labor union. Our members advocate for a change in the global system, including degrowing parts of the Global North’s economies and encouraging equal, just and self-determined development in the Global South.

We need an economic system that works for everyone rather than a small class at the top. Economic justice means a world where everyone is able to enjoy God’s creation and the fruits of dignified work.

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