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Newsletter Editorial 28-2026
What Kind of Economy? From Theory to Stories Changing the World
The economy makes the world go around. It is the world’s motor and an important tool for humanity and progress – a delicate progress that has its advantages, but also causes real suffering. The economy can be instrumental in creating division and inequality. It is for this reason that United World Project periodically reflects on the topic, paying particular attention to the question, what kind of economy? We have dedicated the month of October to the theme ‘Work and the Economy’, sharing three important stories – three very different, yet complementary, articles.
Twenty years ago the Polo Lionello Bonfanti was born, near the Loppiano citadel in Florence. Experimenting with the Economy of Communion since its inception, the centre was established following an intuition in 1991 by Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement. In a detailed article we tell the story of the Lionello Bonfanti centre’s first twenty years of life, its heart, its impact, and the events organised to celebrate this significant birthday.
We shared six stories from Italy, Burundi, Ecuador, the Philippines, Syria, and Brazil that illustrate how the economy and decent work can become concrete tools for peace, inclusion, and community regeneration – as well as drivers of local development and environmental protection. These six complementary, simple, and powerful stories feature in the official ‘Together to Care’ document, as well as in our October article reflecting on work and the economy.
Save the Children has been working with children all around the world for over 100 years, repeatedly crossing paths with issues related to work and the economy. The figures and observations in this insightful interview with Elena Gentili, Save the Children’s Head of Policy and Advocacy, force us to reflect on the various inequalities that exist around the world: disparities that are certainly due to an imbalanced distribution of wealth and opportunities. Her insights inform our discussion on work and the economy.
Translated into English by Becca Webley