IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/inrvec/v70y2023i3d10.1007_s12232-023-00421-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“Usus pauper”: how early Franciscan economic thought might offer a contribution to the debate about food waste

Author

Listed:
  • Valentina Erasmo

    (Economy of Francesco Academy
    Università G. d’Annunzio)

Abstract

This paper shows that early Franciscan economic thought might offer a relevant contribution to the debate about food waste. Some elements related to the Franciscan concept of usus pauper—like the ideal food quantity and food type or the criticism against food storage—might be useful for establishing a more balanced individual relationship with food. This more balanced relationship is an ante-litteram example of food education promoting sustainable food consumption and preventing food waste. Franciscan economic thought might promote voluntary self-commitment initiatives against food waste based on frugality and sustainable choices and contribute to the broader development of alternative economic paradigms compared to mainstream orthodox economics, as has recently been occurring with the perspective of the Economy of Francesco.

Suggested Citation

  • Valentina Erasmo, 2023. "“Usus pauper”: how early Franciscan economic thought might offer a contribution to the debate about food waste," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 70(3), pages 323-339, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:70:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s12232-023-00421-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s12232-023-00421-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12232-023-00421-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12232-023-00421-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Charles M. A. Clark & Helen Alford, 2019. "The Throwaway Culture in the Economy of Exclusion: Pope Francis and Economists on Waste," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 78(4), pages 973-1008, September.
    2. Willem Marie Speelman, 2018. "The Franciscan Usus Pauper: using poverty to put life in the perspective of plenitude," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Jessica Aschemann-Witzel & Ilona De Hooge & Pegah Amani & Tino Bech-Larsen & Marije Oostindjer, 2015. "Consumer-Related Food Waste: Causes and Potential for Action," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-21, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Francesca Goodman-Smith & Romain Mirosa & Miranda Mirosa, 2020. "Understanding the Effect of Dining and Motivational Factors on Out-Of-Home Consumer Food Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Benjamin Scheibehenne & Jutta Mata & David Richter, 2018. "Accuracy of Food Preference Predictions in Couples," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1003, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    3. Jingjing Wang & Mingyue Li & Sinan Li & Kai Chen, 2022. "Understanding Consumers’ Food Waste Reduction Behavior—A Study Based on Extended Norm Activation Theory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Ghosh, R.K. & Eriksson, M. & Istamov, A., 2018. "Food waste due to coercive power in agri-food chains: Evidence from Sweden," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277496, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. René Audet & Éliane Brisebois, 2019. "The Social Production of Food Waste at the Retail-Consumption Interface," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Clara Cicatiello & Luca Secondi & Ludovica Principato, 2019. "Investigating Consumers’ Perception of Discounted Suboptimal Products at Retail Stores," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-10, July.
    7. Wanjun Chu & Helén Williams & Karli Verghese & Renee Wever & Wiktoria Glad, 2020. "Tensions and Opportunities: An Activity Theory Perspective on Date and Storage Label Design through a Literature Review and Co-Creation Sessions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-37, February.
    8. Azucena Gracia & Miguel I. Gómez, 2020. "Food Sustainability and Waste Reduction in Spain: Consumer Preferences for Local, Suboptimal, And/Or Unwashed Fresh Food Products," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-15, May.
    9. Principato, Ludovica & Secondi, Luca & Cicatiello, Clara & Mattia, Giovanni, 2022. "Caring more about food: The unexpected positive effect of the Covid-19 lockdown on household food management and waste," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    10. Efrat Elimelech & Eyal Ert & Ofira Ayalon, 2019. "Exploring the Drivers behind Self-Reported and Measured Food Wastage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-19, October.
    11. Julia Wojciechowska-Solis & Magdalena Smiglak - Krajewska, 2020. "Consumer Education and Food Waste: An Example of the Bakery Market - the Case of Young Consumer," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 1), pages 89-96.
    12. Noora Sirola & Ulla-Maija Sutinen & Elina Närvänen & Nina Mesiranta & Malla Mattila, 2019. "Mottainai!—A Practice Theoretical Analysis of Japanese Consumers’ Food Waste Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-14, November.
    13. Fredrik Wikström & Helén Williams & Jakob Trischler & Zane Rowe, 2019. "The Importance of Packaging Functions for Food Waste of Different Products in Households," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, May.
    14. Ovidija Eičaitė & Gitana Alenčikienė & Ingrida Pauliukaitytė & Alvija Šalaševičienė, 2021. "Eat or Throw Away? Factors Differentiating High Food Wasters from Low Food Wasters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-16, September.
    15. Na Hao & Yi Zhang & Huashu Wang & H. Holly Wang, 2022. "Which Consumer Perceptions Should Be Used in Food Waste Reduction Campaigns: Food Security, Food Safety or Environmental Concerns?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-11, February.
    16. Gianpaolo Iazzolino & Francesca Guerriero & Luigino Filice & Giorgio Scarpelli, 2023. "A blockchain-based approach for food surplus management," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 69(7), pages 276-283.
    17. Delley, Mathilde & Brunner, Thomas A., 2017. "Foodwaste within Swiss households: A segmentation of the population and suggestions for preventive measures," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 172-184.
    18. Massimiliano Cerciello & Massimiliano Agovino & Antonio Garofalo, 2019. "Estimating food waste under the FUSIONS definition: What are the driving factors of food waste in the Italian provinces?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 1139-1152, June.
    19. Liisa Varumo & Rositsa Yaneva & Tarmo Koppel & Iida-Maria Koskela & Mari Carmen Garcia & Sara Sozzo & Eugenio Morello & Marie-Christine Dictor, 2020. "Perspectives on Citizen Engagement for the EU Post-2020 Biodiversity Strategy: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-24, February.
    20. Camelia F. Oroian & Calin O. Safirescu & Rezhen Harun & Gabriela O. Chiciudean & Felix H. Arion & Iulia C. Muresan & Bianca M. Bordeanu, 2017. "Consumers’ Attitudes towards Organic Products and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-14, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Franciscan economic thought; Food insecurity; Food poverty; Food waste; Usus pauper;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B1 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925
    • B - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology
    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:70:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s12232-023-00421-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.