Beyond the homo oeconomicus: Julio Cesar and the dream of an economy that puts the person at the center

Julio Cesar is a 31-year-old young man from the Brazilian city of Curitiba. His life has intersected several times with the Sophia University Institute and, after completing a five-year bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in his country, he moved to Loppiano to pursue a master’s degree in Economics and Management.

What drove you to choose Sophia for your path?
In 2012, I experienced a reconnection with the Focolare Movement through the international Genfest festival. The idea of “being a young person for a united world” captured my attention, and there I had my first experience at Sophia, which changed my perspective and my attitude toward what I wanted for my career.
Back in Brazil, I finished my engineering studies and began working in corporate innovation departments: I felt the desire to change businesses so they could improve their levels of management, production, and purpose. But after three years, I felt a degree of frustration. During the COVID-19 period and the shift to smart working, I lived through a time of reflection, and within me emerged a desire for change. I decided to return to Sophia with the goal of combining my desire to be a “young person for a united world” with my professional career in the field of business management.

What skills did you acquire at Sophia?
First of all, a systemic outlook: both from the economic studies perspective — to understand market behaviors beyond the simple perspective of the homo oeconomicus, that is, the myth of the economic actor always rational and self-centered — and from the management perspective, learning how to use managerial tools in such a way as to concretely place the human person at the center.
Then there are the indirect skills, what in economics are called “positive externalities”: living in a multicultural house pushed me to work in teams, to apply knowledge acquired in conflict management and leadership in service of the group, to create spaces of dialogue and deep listening, and to refrain from judgment.

Was there a particularly important moment for you?
The most beautiful — and at the same time the most difficult, being an engineer — experience was writing the thesis. Thanks to the relationship built with Professor and economist Benedetto Gui, I was able to ask for help: he became not only an advisor but also a friend, with his encouragement and an exchange that went beyond mere professionalism. Without him I would not have succeeded: I was about to give up, but we managed to turn something ordinary into a moment of gift and extraordinary exchange. Benedetto conceived the concept of relational goods, and we created and experienced them. I feel that this is deeply connected to Sophia’s vision.

What paths open for you after your master’s degree?
My place in the world is not yet entirely clear, but starting from the question “What should an entrepreneur do to promote a different economy?” I find a first answer in tools of accountability and non-financial reporting. Through their use I can help companies understand that, beyond profit, they generate many other forms of value: to identify them, measure them, and design strategies.
Then there is the challenge of hybridization: taking into account not only the economic mission, but also the social and environmental mission. Today I work as a consultant with entrepreneurs, and through this work I hope to help them become increasingly purpose-driven.