Beyond the Market/State Binary Code: The Common Good as a Relational Good

Abstract

Donati is one of the best known Italian authors on social sciences. He is a professor at the University of Bologna and member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He has written over 90 books, which have influenced parts of the encyclical Caritas in Veritate. His main theory is the ‘relational configuration of society’ which he here applies to economy. We are very proud of having won him for our project. In his essay he elaborates on the statement of Caritas in Veritate, that the exclusively binary model of State-market is corrosive of society (Benedict XVI. 2009. Encyclical Caritas in veritate. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.). He shows that, in order to go beyond the present domination of the binomial market-State (lib-lab in Donati’s language), which destroys sociality, we need much more than good, honest and altruistic individuals: we need a societal configuration able to generate relational goods. Relational good is the name of the common good in a highly differentiated and globalised society. His theory is innovative and can be considered to be of great interest for the future.