This encyclopedia is a comprehensive introduction to Catholic social thought. The work combines three levels of analysis: (1) broad-ranging theoretical work on key topics and scholarly disciplines, (2) social science perspectives on a wide range of topics relating to human nature and society, and (3) treatment of policy issues.

The two original volumes of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy were published in 2007. Those two volumes included 848 entries from nearly 300 contributors and included a wide range of entries in three general categories: entries exploring Catholic social thought at a theoretical level, entries reflecting the learning of various social science and humanistic disciplines as this learning relates to Catholic social thought, and entries examining specific social policy questions. This third, supplemental volume continues the approach of the original...