Love and Truth Matter fo Integral Development

Narratives of transformative experiences are widely used in the humanities and the social sciences; as economists, we can learn from narratives, but we can also contribute to understanding micro and macro development by providing empirical evidence. We perform longitudinal studies (time matters!) on how being exposed to stable relations of love and care within a community (relations matter!) can foster human development of vulnerable people, considering both material outcomes and non-material dimensions (trust, altruism, forgiveness). Our methodology rests on elemental anthropological premises, with love and truth at their center. Rethinking relations, even in the naïf forms we are working on, provides an antidote to the ever present risk of thinking about integral human development and the common good as a list of “to do” things.