In 2013 Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope, taking the name of Saint Francis of Assisi to signal his commitment to serving the poor and the disenfranchised. This commitment has not only shaped how Francis governs the church, but also how he thinks about the economy. In a speech given to the poor of Bolivia, Pope Francis is clear that economic policy should be focused first and foremost on human well-being, saying that “the first task is to put the economy at the service of people. Human beings and nature must not be at the service of money.” But what exactly would it look like to build an economy centered on serving the poor and promoting human flourishing? 

In Cathonomics (Georgetown University Press, 2022), Tony Annett lays of a vision inspired by Catholic social teaching for a just and humane economy. Drawing from Aristotle, Aquinas, and several recent popes, Annett argues that concepts like human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity can provide the moral grounding necessary for an economy that goes beyond purely mathematical metrics like GDP to achieve the ultimate goal of improving human lives. Annett explores how these concepts apply to perennial questions about capitalism, unemployment, inequality, and climate change, making the case that the principles of the social tradition can help us create a world that prioritizes economic growth only insofar as it supports actual human flourishing.