By Daniel Johnson Fforestfach Colloquium VI In British political debate, it has not been customary for the past century or so to cite scriptural texts, let alone embark on their exegesis, in order to clinch an argument. Any politician or journalist who tried to do so would quickly discover (...)
Continue Reading →By Nick Spencer [1] Fforestfach Colloquium VI The topic of what (if any) responsibilities we as a nation owe to others – refugees, immigrants, other nations, etc – is never settled. But, of late, it has been particularly unsettled. Moreover, it is one that Christians are seriously (and increasingly?) (...)
Continue Reading →The Role of Business in Social Welfare James Perry I started my career working for a great Quaker business, Cadbury Ltd. As a trainee I was fascinated by what made the business tick, and so I became friendly with the in-house librarians. Their role was to curate the organisational memory (...)
Continue Reading →Welfare and the Common Good Maurice Glasman First, it is always an honour to be invited by Lord Griffiths to anything and I always try to accept. He has been a true friend to me since I entered the House of Lords; that is a rare gift to be given (...)
Continue Reading →A Welfare Society Brian Griffiths The welfare state A market economy can be a harsh reality for those who work in it. A fall in the world price of a commodity can lead to the closure of a business. A new technology can make jobs redundant. A financial crisis in (...)
Continue Reading →Moral Questions Richard Turnbull Introduction Poverty is a scar on humanity. Samuel Johnson, a high Tory, claimed in 1770 that ‘decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization.’[1] For R. H. Tawney, a socialist, there is nothing that ‘reveals the true character of a social philosophy more (...)
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Chapter 4: How to Make Finance Serve the Common Good Today, insurance companies and pension funds manage more than 100 trillion dollars of savings. These flows are not directed to long-term investments in low-carbon infrastructure and other sustainable development projects, but are fuelling financial bubbles; shareholders who lack investment (...)
Continue Reading → Chapter 3: Benefit Companies – A Pathway to the Future The capital markets in the UK and many other countries are dominated by the doctrine of ‘shareholder primacy’. Under this concept, investors – including pension funds – seek to have each company in which they invest ‘maximise value’ by (...)
Continue Reading → Chapter 2: Purpose, Practice and Partnership: A Christian Reflection With apologies to Winston Churchill, it might be said that ‘Capitalism is the worst form of an economic system, except for all the others.’ Or putting it more positively, it seems beyond dispute that capitalism is the most efficient economic (...)
Continue Reading → Chapter 1: Creating an Economy of Inclusion Introduction Christian religious leaders are not known for their sympathy towards a market economy. They frequently complain about injustices and inequalities that they argue are caused by markets. Sometimes supporters of a market economy respond by conceding ground; at other times, however, by (...)
Continue Reading → Chapter 5 The Paradox of Globalisation Barbara Ridpath Introduction Globalisation has gone from praised to pilloried. Throughout most of the post-war era, international trade has been seen largely as a ‘good’. The advantage to both parties of trading was based largely on Adam Smith’s description of comparative advantage in the (...)
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