Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 89 No. 2, 2019.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
The Subsidiary Development of the Croatian Society. Possibilities and Difficulties
Stjepan Baloban
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Gordan Črpić
orcid.org/0000-0001-7951-8141
; Hrvatsko katoličko sveučilište, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Silvija Migles
orcid.org/0009-0001-0101-8267
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
The article titled »The Subsidiary Development of the Croatian Society. Possibilities and Difficulties« discusses the issue of the development of the Croatian society in the perspective of subsidiarity. While the role and significance of the principle of subsidiarity in gaining ground within the development and functioning of the European Union, the topic of subsidiarity is practically unknown in the public discourse in the Croatian society. This makes theological-ecclesial discussions on subsidiarity, discussed by Croatian social ethicists, under its theoretical and practical aspect, all the more important. The first point, Theoretical Positioning: The Concept, Meaning, and Relevancy of Subsidiarity notes the contribution of the social teaching of the Church to the application of subsidiarity in society and especially the relevancy of subsidiarity for the development of the European society. That is the context within which the contribution of the principle of subsidiarity to the development of the Croatian society ought to be discussed. At the same time, subsidiarity is an expression of the human being’s freedom and allows an individual to practice his/her freedom by taking responsibility and by actively participating in the development of society. Therefore, subsidiarity inspires the renewal of social structures and the strengthening of the role of an individual and groups in responsible promotion of the common good. The second point, (Lack of) Awareness of Subsidiarity in the Croatian Society, presents the first empirical study of subsidiarity in Croatia, carried out in December, 2009. Results of this study indicate the lack of awareness of the concept and contents of the principle of subsidiarity in the Croatian society. That, on the one hand, points towards the need for a more fundamental awareness of the principle of subsidiarity and, on the other hand, towards difficulties in the practical application of subsidiarity on the development of the Croatian society. Within the project »European Values Study« (EVS), Croatian researchers did not deal with the issue of subsidiarity until now. This article addresses that task on the basis of three EVS waves – 1999, 2008, and 2017 – and on the basis of the empirical study (2009) that was carried out within the project of the Catholic Faculty of Theology of the University of Zagreb, titled »Subsidiarity in the Croatian Society«. This is treated in the third point, titled The Ability to Take Responsibility. Namely, one of the essential characteristics of subsidiary behaviour is the ability of an individual to take responsibility for solving issues and problems in society. On the basis of aforementioned empirical studies, this article discusses the issue whether such a subsidiary precondition exists in the Croatian society, in relation to various forms of taking responsibility. The Conclusion points out that two hypotheses proved correct and two incorrect. The hypothesis that there was a shift in favour of personal responsibility and private initiatives in the Croatian society did not prove correct. Furthermore, the hypothesis that younger and more educated individuals are more ready to take responsibility did not prove to be correct either. The hypothesis that freedom is an important factor for taking responsibility and the hypothesis that political preferences are not linked with economic issues and functioning of economy proved to be correct. Although, on the one hand, the article demonstrated that in relation to the subsidiary development of the Croatian society the diagnosis is not encouraging, on the other hand, results showed that approximately 1/3 of the population is ready to take a step in that direction. That part of the population also represents an unused potential that will support a serious reform of the state administration and local administrations in terms of subsidiarity. Such reform, however, cannot be of declarative nature, but instead it needs to allow the realisation of projects that are necessary for the integral development of the human being and society.
Ključne riječi
subsidiarity; social teaching of the Church; empirical research; subsidiary development of society; freedom and responsibility; subsidiary practice.
Hrčak ID:
223164
URI
Datum izdavanja:
23.7.2019.
Posjeta: 2.012 *