ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses a current approach to the idea of a civil economy based on an old Italian school of thought about market economy as inserted in civil society. The Civil Economy proposal believes in the self-organization of civil society with the support of intermediate organizations or institutions to achieve a healthy economic coordination. It also upholds that a close, relational character of personal identity – linked to forms of reciprocity guided by non-instrumental rationality – enables the emergence of a united and friendly society. In the Civil Economic approach, markets are not ethically neutral, they are either civil or not. If civil, they are designed to produce the common good, create values and work, and take care of people and the environment. Stefano Zamagni and Bruni consequently advocate the reinstitution of a modern form of civil economy, with economic interactions being, at the same time, moral, fraternal and mutually beneficial.
