Solidarity Socioeconomics, Values and Social Justice: The Need to re-Christianize Economy

Abstract

One of the economic consequences of the so-called first global crisis is given not only by merely economic aspects, but also due to a generalized crisis of values that generates socioeconomic imbalance in Europe and maintains extreme poverty in Latin America. In order to fight this situation, solidarity socioeconomics emerges, which presents small theoretical variations, depending on whether the European or the Latin American perspective is analyzed. This article conceptualizes and characterizes both currents, and formulates the need to go back to introducing Christian values to economy. More specifically, this article shows how the wish to overcome poverty has made Latin America the leader in the efforts of inserting solidarity socioeconomics in the productive and commercial network of its economies. Finally, it is shown how the introduction of solidarity socioeconomics values will lead from Homo economicus to Homo reciprocans, a way of being in which individuals are guided by cooperation and pro-sociability and they have a reciprocity rationale that overcomes the mere economic rationale.