ABSTRACT
What kind of society do we want, and does our economy contribute to that? And if it doesn’t, what can we do about it? Quite a few formal constitutions of countries indicate that the outcomes of economic processes should not just be accepted in the same way we accept changes in the weather but evaluated in light of larger goals, of some notion of the common good. For example, the German Constitution reads (Art. 14), “Property entails obligations. Its use shall also serve the public good.” The Bavarian Constitution even includes the far-reaching clause “The entirety of economic activity shall serve the public good, in particular the guarantee of a decent existence for every person and the gradual increase of the standard of living of all social classes” (Art. 151). 1 And the Dutch Constitution states: “It shall be the concern of the authorities to promote the provision of sufficient employment” (Art. 19.1) and “It shall be the concern of the authorities to secure the means of subsistence of the population and to achieve the distribution of wealth” (Art. 20.1). Moreover, this Constitution also declares: “It shall be the concern of the authorities to keep the country habitable and to protect and improve the environment” (Art. 21). Similar articles refer to the health of the population, sufficient living accommodations and education as well as social and cultural development and leisure activities (Art. 22, 23). The Preamble to the French Constitution (1946) reads: “The Nation shall provide the individual and the family with the conditions necessary to their development” (Art. 10) and to the “protection of their health, material security, rest and leisure” (Art. 11) as well as “equal access to instruction, vocational training and culture” (Art. 13). And the Italian Constitution declares, regarding the economy: “There is freedom of private economic initiative. It cannot be conducted in conflict with social utility or in a manner that could damage safety, liberty, and human dignity. The Law determines appropriate planning and controls so that public and private economic activity is given direction and coordinated to social objectives” (Art. 41). Bhutan has even famously included the promotion of “Gross National Happiness” as part of its Constitution (Art. 9.2). These examples will suffice.
