In this period, in which objectives causes make it increasingly difficult to relaunch the economy of the European countries, " Famiglia prima impresa"—the new book signed by the Pontifical Council for the Family—wants to go back to the origins of business, by recalling in what sense the domestic cell is actually the first business, at all levels, and how it still represents the model for the organization and development of any business that wants to integrate itself successfully in the current economic environment.
This 88-page volume (in the series "Family and Life"), published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana and available for 9 euros in major bookstores, collects some of the lectures given at the conference "Famiglia prima impresa," hosted by our Dicastery on April 27th, 2013. This volume contains, in particular, an introduction by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the PCF, a presentation by Father Gianfranco Grieco, the Dicastery's Head of Office, and specialized contributions by Vincenzo Bassi ("The Family and Tax Authorities: No assistance or relief, but a Subsidiary and equitable social system"), Johnny Dotti ("Services for the families, the experience of Welfare in Italy"), Alessandra Smerilli ("The family at the center of the economic system"), Mariella Enoch ("The family is financed, it is claimed"), Francesco Belletti ("What an enterprise to build a family today!"), John Jacob ("Family and Business: ideas for concluding thoughts"), and Francesco D'Agostino (" For an anthropology of the family").
In the introduction, Archbishop Paglia writes: "The family produces services for its own benefit and for the benefit of its members. This leads to the conclusion that the family does not just consume. Quite the reverse, as a normal economic and productive subject, which has the same requirements as businesses in general (organization, economy, professionalism), the family invests its resources into fully performing its tasks. It is good to point out that the family is the 'proto enterprise.' It is no coincidence that the word economy, which comes from the Greek οἰκία (also meaning family) and νόμος (including discipline, management), is also used to talk about the management of the family."
