Prophets and Profits—A Macromarketing Perspective on "Economic Justice for all: Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy"

Abstract

The economics pastoral letter, commonly known as the Bishops' Economic Letter, issued by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, is reviewed and analyzed. The analysis takes a dynamic systems perspective and emphasizes such marketing issues as consumerism and market power and other issues conventionally addressed in macromarketing thought such as institutional relationships and economic development. Conflicts in ultimate values in socioeconomic life-human dignity vs. economic criteria, social vs. individual welfare, freedom vs. security, and distributive vs. aggregative effects-are treated. The Bishops' Letter is a useful basis for discussing macromarketing theory and policy and research implications.

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