163—Reconciling Distributism and Economics—Alexander W. Salter

By Catholic Culture Podcast ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 24, 2023 | In The Catholic Culture Podcast

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Distributism, the social-political-economic philosophy advanced by G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc under the influence of Catholic social teaching, offers intriguing ways of rethinking the modern social-political-economic order. But distributists have often been found lacking in serious practical plans to bring about their ideal social order, and in the economic fallacies they commit when critiquing other schools of thought.

Distributists and economists have often seemed to be natural enemies. As an economist, Alexander W. Salter is not willing to embrace many distributists’ skepticism that there can such a thing as economic science. But he also believes it would be a mistake to neglect the powerful social vision of Chesterton and Belloc on account of their shortcomings in economic theory. He joins the podcast to discuss his new book, The Political Economy of Distributism, in which he argues that a combination of distributist social philosophy and modern price theory can help us to achieve the much-discussed goal of “common good capitalism”.

The Political Economy of Distributism: Property, Liberty, and the Common Good https://www.cuapress.org/9780813236810/the-political-economy-of-distributism/

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