Do the St Vincent de Paul, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Church Youth and Women’s Groups, environmental groups, anti-corruption groups and the hundreds of other non-profit organisations outside of the State and private sectors have any role to play regarding the economy?

These organisations are often linked strictly with humanitarian efforts, such as feeding the poor, providing health and education services, assisting the abused and the indigent. Today, NGOs address every conceivable issue and they operate in virtually every part of the globe, even though they have few formal powers over local, regional and international decision-making.

Some believe that the successes that these groups have had over time resulted from increasing globalisation and the pressure of ordinary citizens to control and regulate communities beyond the State. 

It is generally accepted that NGOs have a vital role to play in any local, regional and international system, especially as it relates to accountability in decision-making and “picking up the slack” where the State and private enterprises may fall short. 

The social doctrine of the Church says, “the social-economic system must be marked by the twofold presence of public and private activity, including private non-profit activity. In this way sundry decision-making and activity-planning centres come to take shape.

 The use of certain categories of goods, collective goods and goods meant for common utilisation, cannot be dependent on mechanisms of the market, nor does their use fall under the exclusive competence of the State.

The State’s task relative to these goods is that of making use of all social and economic initiatives promoted by intermediate bodies that produce public effects. 

Civil society, organised into its intermediate groups, is capable of contributing to the attainment of the common good by placing itself in a relationship of collaboration and effective complementarities with respect to the State and the market.

It thus encourages the development of a fitting economic democracy. In this context, State intervention should be characterised by a genuine solidarity, which as such must never be separated from subsidiarity.”

This tells us the State must work in tandem with the non-profit sector to ensure that the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity and common good discussed in the last two articles are adhered to in economic activity. 

Previous articles had indicated that there are times when the normal free market system may not efficiently provide essential goods and services necessary for human sustenance for instance roads, health facilities and environmental protection.

The State plays a role in ensuring that these goods are provided for. Where the State may have limited resources, non-profit organisations with specific interests in the area can work alongside the State machinery. 

These organisations may even be involved from another angle, which may remove the need for the State to be involved, by advocating and lobbying private enterprises to ensure that their policies, business decisions and societal impacts do take into consideration the human person’s social, cultural and religious needs and benefit the common good.

“Private non-profit organisations have their own specific role to play in the economic sphere. These organisations are marked by the fearless attempt to unite efficiency in production with solidarity. In general, they are built on agreements of association and manifest a common way of thinking in the members who choose to join.

The State is called to respect the nature of these organisations and to make proper use of their various features, putting into practice the fundamental principle of subsidiarity, which requires that the dignity and autonomous responsibility of the “subsidiary” subject be respected and promoted.”

The existence of this particular non-state sector, presents numerous opportunities. The State has a resource that it can tap into, that can respond quickly to changes in the system because it does not have to deal with the likely bureaucracy of the State mechanisms.

Once the non-profit sector is adequately supported by the State in terms of building their capacity, giving them access to information and giving them the space to be involved in the decision making processes in the economy, non-profit organizations have an opportunity to make a substantial difference in the community with their activities.

We must all find ways to support this sector including getting involved.

Next week we look at Savings and Consumer Goods. 

Interested in purchasing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church? Please contact the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, Archbishop’s House – 622-6680.