This is my translation of a brief review by Benedetto Gui of Stefano Zamagni’s book L’Economia del bene comune (The Economics of the Common Good).  The original Italian text of the review is available on the Economy of Communion site at http://www.edc-online.org/index.php/en/publications/papers/italiano.html.

Zamagni’s thesis is that the usual method of measuring economic common good in terms of individual consumption in monetary units misses the crucial contribution of interpersonal relationships to our sense of well-being as we live out our roles within the economic system.  Total money earned is not the sole criteria for our economic satisfaction or dissatisfaction; the social and interpersonal relationships in the environment in which the money is earned are vital to our sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

http://michaelbrennen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Gui_Economics_Common_Good.pdf