Economics of Belonging

Summary

The first premise of our ‘economics of belonging project’ is that the pandemic – a time of trial – is a good moment to reason together about the future of the economy. We work on the basis of several distinctive ideas:

1. An underlying culture or ethos largely shapes particular social outcomes
2. A more substantive engagement of religious communities with public authorities is in the interests of society as a whole and can enrich the life of churches and religious communities
3. Partnerships involving the churches and committed academics can be a helpful factor
4. We should compare our own experience with the experience of other countries 
5. A more inclusive economy and a ‘just transition’ at the global level are complementary objectives
6. We work with a view to initiatives in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland

In this general perspective, we hope to produce recommendations at three mutually complementary levels:

1. Social indicators / metrics of ‘social value’/ the role of public spending
2. Policies having ‘demonstration value’ (in relation to, e.g., housing and homelessness, the criminal justice system, food poverty, ‘social enterprises’)
3. Place-based policies/empowering local communities