Jane Lee, University of Notre Dame
“Sustainable Development in Costa Rica: The Possibilities of Ecotourism in Relation to Encyclicals Populorum Progressio and Sollicitudo Rei Socialis”
Bio: Jane Lee is a senior at the University of Notre Dame from La Crescenta, California. She is a Spanish and Sociology major with a minor in Catholic Social Tradition. Carefree and laidback, Jane believes that everyone should try to be open-minded and excited about life! Her mom and her two sisters are her inspiration and motivate her to embrace the opportunities and challenges that come her way. Jane’s passions include Latin America, the beach, social analysis, food and good music.
Abstract: There exists a constant urgency to confront the injustices in our world, making Pope Paul VI’s 1967 Encyclical Letter, Populorum Progressio, relevant today. As the document echoes much of Rerum Novarum’s emphasis on our duty to answer the call of our brothers in need, Pope Paul VI further discusses economic development as a means to attain peace and promote the human person. An important theme in relation to the development of humanity is the need for collaboration among countries and people in the immediate and the universal sense, which can lead to solidarity and a global community. As I examine the conditions in Costa Rica and the actions being taken to make improvements in society, Populorum Progressio points to the wayin which people work towards development and stresses that it must be initiated in a comprehensive manner. Paul VI well explains that “development cannot be limited to mere economic growth” (Paul VI 1967:243), which I feel illustrates the value and need for non-profit organizations and development programs that prioritize the human person in their endeavors. By examining Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical on “The Development of People” and Costa Rica’s challenges and successes in its developmental progress, I will illustrate that there is still much room for dialogue and cooperation to promote more comprehensive and inclusive efforts toward development. Then, I will survey Costa Rica’s contemporary situation of its overwhelming dependence on tourism as its source of “development.” By examining Pope John Paul II’s 1987 Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, which recognizes that human development is not merely economic, I will investigate Costa Rica’s expansion of ecotourism and question whether it will bring development that ensures peace and justice that John Paul II calls for.
