The “Virtues and Vices in Economics and Business” international workshop was organized by the Centre for Economics and Ethics of the Catholic University of Leuven in cooperation with the European SPES Institute in June 19-20, 2015, Leuven, Belgium. Inspired by the spiritual humanism of the European personalist movement and applying the virtue ethics tradition participants seeked to develop new models for encouraging virtuous actions in business and  in economic policy.

Presentations included Helen Alford (Angelicum Rome):  “Hollowing-out” of Meaning: Virtue ethics in the “Blueprint for Better Business”, Knut Ims (NHH, Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen): Ancient Virtues and Positive Psychology, Johan Verstraeten (Catholic University of Leuven): Beyond Morality: Spirituality as Precondition for Virtuous Leadership, Luk Bouckaert (Catholic University of Leuven & European SPES Institute): Virtues of Good Leadership in the Light of Hannah Arendt ’s Theory of Judgment, Peter Rona (Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford): Intentionality and the Objects of Economics, Antoon Vandevelde (Catholic University of Leuven): Thomas Piketty on Inequality, Laszlo Zsolnai (Corvinus University of Budapest): Prudence in Management and Economic Wisdom, Thomas Dienberg, OFMCap (Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule, Münster): Vices and Virtues in economics: About Community and Contemplation, Kevin Jackson (Université libre de Bruxelles and Fordham University): Mindfulness and the Inner Motivation to Be Ethical, Luigino Bruni (LUMSA University, Rome): Vulnerability and Immunity in Economic Life, and Carlos Hoevel (Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina): Opportunities and Obstacles to Civil Economy: An Overview and the Latin American Case.