The original Article Who’s Responding: “The Call of the Entrepreneur” in La Spezia was written by Francesco Bellotti for the Italian newspaper “Avvenire” (translation and editorial contributions from Michael Severance):
“The Christian entrepreneur is not the person who goes about wealth creation all week and then leaves a nice offering at church on Sunday. Rather, he is exemplified by the type of person who gives the best of himself to create wealth and opportunity for himself and others,” said Mr. Kishore Jayabalan, Director of the Italian office of the American think tank, Acton Institute, while introducing the premier showing of the Acton documentary “The Call of the Entrepreneur” at the Teleliguria Sud TV studios in La Spezia, Italy last February 19.
The documentary’s showing and debate on television was organized in collaboration with the Movement of Christian Workers of La Spezia before a private audience of entrepreneurs, business executives, and free-lance professionals invited from the northern Italian region of Liguria.
“No doubt there are greedy entrepreneurs, just like any other group of greedy professionals and tradesmen,” Mr. Jayabalan said. “But they are certainly not defined by this (vice).”
For the good entrepreneur, “risk-taking is born out of his trust and hope in the future. He perceives things that others do not easily see and works to build something where there is nothing.”
Continuing his reflection on the entrepreneurial vocation, Jayabalan stressed that economics is not like a game of poker.
“Economics is not zero sum game in which the rich get richer at the expense of the poor. The free market is a means by which all of man’s material needs may be satisfied.” The entrepreneur must “study his fellow men in order to better satisfying their needs. In this way, his creative work contributes to the common good. What’s more, he creates jobs while risking his very own well-being.”
To be sure, it is not this way for all entrepreneurs, but “we must know how to recognize and value such a vocation that is absolutely rich in meaning, especially in the social sense,” said Jayabalan.
When asked, how can we help support the growth of entrepreneurship, Jayabalan concluded by saying “we cannot “program or plan” for good entrepreneurs to come about. Indeed, they are persons who respond to a certain calling. But, at any rate, there are some fundamental conditions which our state institutions must guarantee to facilitate entrepreneurship, namely: respect for private property, rule of law, minimal bureaucracy, and fair taxation.”
One of the panelists at the debate, Massimo Ansaldo, an attorney and executive member of Italian Catholic business society “Compangnia delle Opere di Liguria”, said: “When thinking about it, the principle of subsidiarity must be followed, in order for us to pass on social responsibility from the state directly into the hands of the local private intermediaries, such as the family, businessmen, professional associations and cooperatives.
Gianluca Ceccarelli, an infopreneur on the discussion panel, said, “With my work, I am able to support my family. I am not interested in earning huge lumps of money, but rather reinvesting it to continually improve my state…The internet affords endless information and opportunity for growth. It is an incredible phenomenon, though we need to know how to take advantage of what it offers, otherwise we can easily lose our wealth.”
Gian Piero Marafante, an entrepreneur in attendance, gave his reactions to the documentary: “What I like most is teamwork in building up business. Often people ask me why I am so willing to share my business secrets with my colleagues. My answer is that, first off, no one can take my experience from me. But, above all, when teaching others my skills I contribute to the growth of the team and gain tremendous satisfaction from this.”
Finally, Rev. Pietro Damian of the nearby Diocese of Massa Carrara and immigrant from Bucharest, gave his personal testimony from the speaker panel: “When I arrived in Italy, I came to understand the ‘secret’ of economic development in Western countries.”
“Unlike in communist countries where the state owned everything, here people could freely develop (wealth) according to their own talent and ingenuity,” he said.
“My participations in Acton’s educational initiatives (Acton University) in the United States has enriched my knowledge and inspired my pastoral outreach to promote the values that have made our civilization great. Without faith, we risk stifling progress, even in economic terms! Instead of ideologically demonizing business, let’s inspire a rebirth of a culture that unites free enterprise with ethical responsibility, as we find its very foundation in our Christian faith.”
The Acton Institute’s Italian premier of “The Call of the Entrepreneur” in the city of La Spezia was the first of many more showings foreseen in the coming months to stimulate debate in Italy on the virtues of entrepreneurship. Soon the American think tank will travel to Verona for another showing of its documentary before members of the Union of Christian Entrepreneurs and Managers from the Italian region of Veneto.
Electronic engineer Dr. Francesco Bellotti is Professor of Industrial Research and Development for the University of Genoa.
