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by Andrew V. Abela (Editor), Marja Walker (Author), Beatriz E. Lopez (Editor)
There appears to be a decline in confidence in the market economy as the engine of prosperity for all. A renewed focus on solidarity - love of others - in the marketplace could draw more people into the "circle of exchange" (Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 34), strengthen confidence in the market economy, and drive greater liberty and prosperity. But do the concepts of liberty and solidarity really belong together in commercial activity? An individualistic perspective sees them as opposing one another: solidarity, to the extent that it obliges me to "lose myself " in the service of others, seems to put a limit on my economic freedom. By contrast, the Church teaches that we become more free the more we commit ourselves to the service of others, and also that without solidarity we would not be able to maintain the conditions necessary for the operation of a free market. The CUA School of Business and Economics co-sponsored a conference with The Napa Institute titled, "Liberty and Solidarity: Living the Vocation to Business." Presenter's and participants comprised business and academic leaders who sought to discuss the practical and theoretical aspects of living the vocation to business in 2014. Each of the 16 30-minute presentations focused on answering a key question. The macro questions the conference intended to answer were: (a) What can we do to foster both liberty and solidarity in the contemporary economy?; (b) What ideas should be (re) proposed and what practical steps taken?; and (c) How should one live the vocation to business?
