A new publication has just been issued by Christian-inspired think tank Converse at Palazzo de Piro.

It is a synopsis of a process of dialogue that took place through a number of meetings held among different groups of people with the same theme: what kind of society would you like to live in?

The groups represented different interests ranging from business people to human scientists, to trade unions, educationalists, artists, media, political movements, religious communities, mathematical, physical and life scientists and civil society. The writers of this publication have a clear stated objective, that of promoting the vision of a society in dialogue.

Today I will focus on the part of the process that has to do with the economic dimension. Economic life is seen to be one of the actions that will create our future, together with education, governance and caring for the more vulnerable segments of society.

That the economy has become one of the (if not the main) movers in society should not sound as a surprise to anyone. In fact, most assimilate the idea of a good life with economic (not social or political) well-being.

This may lead to economics taking priority over politics and hence, society will no longer be governed by politicians but by financial markets, investors and economic operators.

The recent past of this country can be described as an economic success. Average household income has increased by around 25 per cent over a five-year span. Employment has continued to increase and unemployment remains subdued. Moreover, over the last 25 years we have had a real culture change in our economy.

Whereas in the 1970s and first half of the 1980s we had a widespread mentality of parasitic dependence on the state and private enterprise which was shunned and mistrusted, we now have an appreciation of the role of private enterprise as a generator of wealth and is trusted more than traditional institutions.

This success story and culture change has occurred due to a number of factors. For these past 25 years we have had a Government that believed strongly in the concept of the social market economy and therefore its approach has been a heavy-handed one but one that provided direction, implemented regulation and provided space to private enterprise to grow and expand. We have also had the diversification of the economy, with the growth of the services sector, while manufacturing continued to develop and retained its pivotal role in our economy.

Investment in infrastructure, particularly in education and ICT, ensured that the enablers were in place for the economy to grow. Membership of the European Union and the eurozone provided that last push to enable us to perform well, even when the international economic environment remains very challenging.

However, when we speak of the economy in the future, what should our expectations be? What are the possible areas that could inhibit our economic development? What can we do to render our economic development more sustainable? Are there sectors on which we should have more focus? In this regard the document What kind of society would you like to live in? provides some interesting considerations. They are not final solutions but rather thoughts that can be developed further into action.

Economic decisions imply by-definition choices because resources are scarce. Given the openness of our economy, it is also more than likely that any decision that we take individually or as a country can be influence by the international environment. Therefore there is the need to choose wisely and the need to take responsibility for our own choices. Moreover, there is the need to base our decisions on ethical principles. The respect for the country’s laws that relate to the economy such as taxation is just as important as the respect for the other laws that regulate our human relationships. We must carry out business in a more transparent manner.

This is the next culture change that we need to go through. It is not enough to have the liberty to make economic decisions if we do not know how to decide correctly, or we do not have the information necessary to take the decision or we do not have the proper values on which to base our decisions.

This puts greater pressure on the educational system to ensure that today’s students become tomorrow’s responsible and mature citizens.

It is impossible to speak of the country’s or individual’s economic well-being without linking it to the social well-being.

The society I would like to live in is one where it is possible to have all spheres of society in dialogue with each other on these issues, such that the burden of responsibility for actions taken is truly shared and the benefits that are reaped would benefit us all.