Valčo, Michal and Kardis, Kamil (2025) The Challenge of Implementing Social Justice in a Developing Market Economy: The Case of Slovakia. Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe, 45 (5). Art. 2. ISSN 1069-4781
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Our paper explores the challenges of implementing social justice in Slovakia, a developing market economy with a complex historical background. We provide an overview of Slovakia’s political and socio-economic transformations in the 20th century, focusing on the transition from a state-planned to a market economy (1990–2000). While analyzing contemporary challenges, we explore the role of Michael Novak’s democratic capitalism and Catholic social teaching as moral frameworks for fostering a society with a high level of social justice and cohesion. These approaches, centered on human dignity, solidarity, and ethical entrepreneurship, are contrasted and complemented with Amartya Sen’s capability approach, which offers practical insights for expanding opportunities and addressing the needs of marginalized communities, including the Roma. Additionally, we acknowledge the contributions of John Rawls’s fairness principles and Tomáš Sedláček’s integration of ethics into economics. Despite some economic progress, Slovakia continues to face significant obstacles, including regional disparities, institutional quality, and social inclusion. This paper does not pretend to offer ready-made solutions for the stated problems, but it aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of Slovakia’s path toward social justice and inform more effective policy strategies, while taking seriously the country’s specific context.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Catholic social teaching, marginalized communities, John Rawls, Tomáš Sedláček, Amartya Sen, Michael Novak |
| Subjects: | B Mission theology/theory > Social Justice/Mission as Justice and transformation B Mission theology/theory > Mission and Social responsibility G Christian traditions/Denominations > Roman Catholic |
| Divisions: | Central Europe > Slovakia |
| Depositing User: | Katharina Penner |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Apr 2026 18:26 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Apr 2026 18:26 |
| URI: | https://ceamol.osims.org/id/eprint/3225 |
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