Scholars and other public commentators have raised the issue of the ideology of market capitalism and its clash with and impact on competing worldviews, especially religious worldviews. The questions the Center will be addressing are: What is the ideology underlying market capitalism, and how does it compare and contrast with religiously pluralistic perspectives on the economy?

Most religions have a moral imperative regarding the poor and their potential to survive and flourish. The questions the Center will be addressing are: What are the various pluralistic perspectives on this issue, how does public policy for the current market system fulfill or thwart those approaches, and what changes in public policy are needed, if any?