The last few decades have seen huge reductions in global poverty; improvements in education and healthcare; and, perhaps surprisingly to some, dramatic reductions in global inequality. We now seem to be entering a different era. Economic progress in richer countries seems to have stalled – not least because of the onset of what Pope Francis has described as the ‘demographic winter’. Even more worryingly, in many parts of the world, the progress of the last forty years has halted. The authors of this book apply their considerable expertise and use Catholic social thought and teaching to address the contemporary challenges we face. In general, the authors argue that a rightly ordered business economy with strong, Catholic-inspired, provision of healthcare and education is a necessary requirement for prosperity and well-being. Underpinning economic life must be a thriving civil society and good governance, including peace, high levels of trust and low levels of corruption. Developing these themes, the authors of this book – all experts in economics, theology or both – apply the wisdom of Catholic social thought and teaching to domestic and international public policy challenges to show how we can realize a better world.

André Azevedo Alves is Associate Professor of Political Science at Universidade Católica Portuguesa and Associate Professor in Economics, Political Economy and Public Policy at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London.