Distributism

"Distributivism" redirects here. For the algebraic concept, see Distributivity.

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Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated.[1] Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching principles, especially those of Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical Rerum novarum (1891) and Pope Pius XI in Quadragesimo anno (1931).[2][3][4] It has influenced Anglo Christian Democratic movements,[5][6] and has been recognized as one of many influences on the social market economy.[7][8]

Distributism views laissez-faire capitalism and state socialism as equally flawed and exploitative, due to their extreme concentration of ownership. Instead, it favours small independent craftsmen and producers; or, if that is not possible, economic mechanisms such as cooperatives and member-owned mutual organisations, as well as small to medium enterprises and vigorous anti-trust laws to restrain or eliminate overweening economic power. Christian democratic political parties such as the American Solidarity Party have advocated distributism alongside social market economy in their economic policies and party platform.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Zwick was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Coulter, Michael (2007). Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science and Social Policy. Scarecrow Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-8108-5906-7
  3. ^ McConkey, Dale; Lawler, Peter (2003). Faith, Morality, and Civil Society. Lexington Books. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-7391-0483-5
  4. ^ Allitt, Patrick (2000). Catholic Converts: British and American Intellectuals Turn to Rome. Cornell University Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-8014-8663-0
  5. ^ a b "Platform". American Solidarity Party. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020. The American Solidarity Party believes that political economy (economics) is a branch of political ethics, and therefore rejects models of economic behavior that undermine human dignity with greed and naked self-interest. We advocate for an economic system which focuses on creating a society of wide-spread ownership (sometimes referred to as 'distributism') rather than having the effect of degrading the human person as a cog in the machine.
  6. ^ Caldecott, Stratford (1991). "Distributism and Christian Democracy". The Chesterton Review. 17 (1): 141–142. doi:10.5840/chesterton199117151.
  7. ^ Belloc, Hillarie (1982). "The Restoration of Property". In Wünsche, Horst Friedrich; Stützel, Wolfgang; Watrin, Christian; Willgerodt, Hans; Hohmann, Karl (eds.). Standard Texts on the Social Market Economy: Two Centuries of Discussion. Ludwif-Ehard-Stiftung. pp. 331–334.
  8. ^ Corrin, Jay P. (1988). "The Neo-Distributism of Friedrich A. Hayek and Wilhelm Röpke". Thought. 63 (251): 397–412. doi:10.5840/thought198863429.