The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice works to combat injustice and marginalisation in Irish society, through social analysis, education and advocacy. The Centre highlights complex social issues, informs opinion and advocates for governmental policy change to create a fair and equitable society for all.
Economic justice is perhaps the fulcrum around which all social justice debates in contemporary society rotate. In our political discourse, every question of human flourishing seems to be reduced to bottom-line thinking.
Care of creation or protection of the environment emerged as a key element of social justice in recent decades. The science of ecology has described the intricate web of relationships in which people play an active part for good and bad.
The right to a safe and secure place to live is one of the most basic human rights, it is fundamental to enable people to live a dignified life. Without the security provided by having somewhere to live, physical and mental health is at risk.
People in prison are amongst the most marginalised and vulnerable in our society. The majority have left school early, experience literacy and learning difficulties and have a history of unemployment.
The shift to electric cars is an essential element of our climate mitigation strategy. But to repeat a cliché that is fundamentally true: electric cars are not a plan to save the world; they are a plan to save the car industry.
Instead of levelling the playing field, fast fashion is actually increasing inequality.
Changing the pace at which you move through a city, and removing the metal barrier which separates you from your surroundings, makes you a more engaged resident and citizen. You come to intimately know your surroundings, such as the parts of your commute that are more dangerous, where the best views are, and which areas have more green space. You spot the areas where the infrastructure is good enough to allow kids to walk and cycle to school. You also see where new homes are being built and others are boarded up. The life of an area becomes is more connected to you, than it is from when observed from behind the wheel of a car.
This issue is not only affecting the property market for potential buyers. Land hoarding and speculation also affects the delivery of social housing. Higher land values consume a significant part of the budget of AHBs – who deliver much of our social and affordable housing – and directly impact the final cost of the houses and apartments. This has an obvious immediate impact on how many units they can deliver. It is also an issue when calculating the financial outlay for affordable and cost-rental housing, which in turn affects the price of sale or rent of a unit and the overall long-term sustainability of a scheme.
Working Notes is a journal published by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. The journal focuses on social, economic and theological analysis of Irish society. It has been produced since 1987.
