The Idea of Democratic Capitalism is intended as an introduction to the works of Michael Novak, offering a general framework within which to illustrate the development of the American theologian and political scientist's thought. This framework is based on the idea of establishing a renewed relationship between the spirit of entrepreneurship or economic initiative and the modern Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, as set out in the social encyclicals of John Paul II: Laborem Exercens, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis and Centesimus Annus. Novak belongs to a tradition of thought stretching from Polybius and the Federalist Papers to the US Constitution and the Church's social doctrine. This doctrine is an original method of analysing social realities, not a self-contained system. It is a point of reference for developing a civil philosophy engaging with the social sciences and contemporary political and economic thought open to the Christian anthropological perspective.
The book is divided into seven parts: A brief biographical and bibliographical profile of the author; an introductory overview outlining the essential aspects of the historical and cultural context in which Novak's work developed; three central chapters devoted to the themes of order and history within the ideal of 'democratic capitalism', the redefinition of the notion of 'social justice, ' and the spirit of initiative or entrepreneurship. Novak presents this as a human virtue that responds to the call of the Creator; and a concise analysis of the influence of Novak's work in the social sciences and a bibliography of his works.
