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Ivo Šlaus

Šlaus,Ivo

Šlaus,Ivo

Honorary President, World Academy of Art & Science; Member, Club of Rome, European Leadership Network and Pugwash Council; Dean, Dag Hammarskjold University College for International Relations & Diplomacy, Zagreb.

Job Title

Honorary President, World Academy of Art & Science; Member, Club of Rome, European Leadership Network and Pugwash Council; Dean, Dag Hammarskjold University College for International Relations & Diplomacy, Zagreb.

Ivo Šlaus is a nuclear and particle physicist and director of South East European Division of the Academy (SEED). He is also a member of the international advisory council of the Club of Rome and former president of the Croatian Association of the Club of Rome; a member of the Pugwash Council and former president of Croatian Pugwash; a founding Fellow of Academia Europaea; a member of the managing board of the Balkan Political Club; Chairman, International Network of Centres for Sustainable Development; founder and former Executive Committee member of the European Physical Society; Fellow World Innovation Foundation, and a former member of the Parliament of Croatia. Professor Slaus has held academic teaching posts at Rudjer Bošković Institute, Croatia, UCLA, Georgetown University, Duke University, and the International postgraduate school “Jozef Stefan”, Ljubljana (since 2003). He has received national awards for research in 1962 and in 1969.

ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR

Origins and Pathways for the Future of the World Academy of Art & Science Strategic Perspectives and Opportunities   ( Human Security )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The purpose of this paper is to lay the foundation for development of a new strategic plan for the work of the Academy to 2030. Its aim is to invite suggestions from WAAS members and partners regarding priorities for future work. It traces the origins and historical development of the Academy leading up to the present and provides an overview of recent activities and emerging opportunities aligned to its mission which were presented at a meeting of the Board of...
Creative Solutions for Human Security   ( Peace and Security )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract As global threats to human security have expanded significantly in recent years, the reasons and opportunities for innovative technological and educational solutions are more abundant than ever in modern human history. In addition to significant environmental, social, and economic threats to sustainability, the COVID-19 epidemic depleted both health issues and economic situations due to the incompetent response of national and international authorities, which...
Retrospective and Reflections on WAAS@60   ( WAAS ), ( International Organizations ), ( Knowledge, Science & Values ), ( Peace and Security ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Solution to the complex nexus of problems confronting humanity exceeds the capacity of any individual or small group of individuals or organizations. But it does not lie beyond the capacity of the collective aspiration, intelligence and determination of humanity. The world needs aspirational leadership that transcends the partisanship and limitations of self-interested political, economic and cultural perspectives. It needs people and organizations committed to...
Sovereign Nation-States and Global Leadership   ( International Organizations ), ( New Paradigm ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract A novel global governance and leadership paradigm is proposed. Survival of humanity demands paradigmatic changes. Saving natural and human capital requires new economic and new political paradigms. We focus here on political paradigm change. The world today can be destroyed in less than a day by error, terror and stupidity. We know that the world and its natural and human capital will be destroyed in about ten years, unless we change our economic, political and...
From Limits to Growth to Unlimited Wellbeing: A Revolutionary’s Vision of Wealth and Welfare   ( New Economics )
Get Full Text in PDF Editors’ Note: In remembrance of Orio Giarini, founding Editor-in-Chief of Cadmus, we reproduce key ideas from an article by Garry Jacobs and Ivo Šlaus about his seminal contribution to economic thought which was originally published in the April 2012 issue of Cadmus under a slightly different title, “From Limits to Growth to Limitless Growth”. This provocative title was intentionally chosen by the authors to highlight the confusion between endless material expansion and...
Leadership for a New Paradigm: Planetary Moment and Momentum   ( New Paradigm )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This is a unique moment in human history. It is a unique opportunity to generate the momentum needed for rapid transformation of national and global policies and institutions. We are confronted by challenges of a magnitude and urgency greater than ever before at precisely the moment when humanity faces a global leadership vacuum. These complex, multidimensional, interrelated challenges have already generated unprecedented awareness of fundamental flaws in...
Urgent Need for the Establishment of the International Institute for Sustainable Technology in South-East Europe   ( International Organizations ), ( Knowledge, Science & Values ), ( Peace and Security )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract In our interdependent and fast changing world, every individual’s future depends on the wellbeing of all humanity. Transformative out-of-the-box thinking is urgently required, especially in South-East Europe, which occupies a unique position in the world. Historically, it has been the crossroads of cultures and civilizations. Its strategic geographic location has placed it at the centre of significant socio-political actions. It is on a major migratory...
Employment & the Unity of Social Sciences*   ( Employment ), ( Transdisciplinary theory )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Employment and the unity of social sciences are discussed. The paper argues that employment is the simplest and the best indicator of human-centered sustainable and secure development. 1. Introduction The 20th century is referred as the measuring century.1 Indeed, the conception of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its operational definition were introduced in the 30s by Simon Kuznets. Later, various improvements of GDP such as Human Development Index (HDI),2...
Our Common Enemies & Our Best Friends
The re-emergence of dangerous East-West tensions, atrocities in the Middle East, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), bloodshed in Ukraine, traumas inflicted on many chil­dren by war and violence, massive war in Europe becoming imaginable for the first time since the end of the Cold War, violation of current international laws, unfulfilled expectations, missed opportunities offered by the end of the Cold War and in the Middle East, as well as attempts to “solve” them...
Transition to a New Society   ( Social Welfare ), ( New Economics ), ( New Paradigm )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The contemporary world is global, uncertain and rapidly changing. The present economic, social and political paradigm is destroying natural, human and social capital at an accelerating pace. Problems generated by these destructions require urgent solution. All these problems are complex, and cannot be addressed in a piecemeal, sectorial fashion. These problems cannot be solved within the existing paradigm. They have to be addressed holistically,...
Expanding Network of Networks   ( New Paradigm )
 Get Full Text in PDF The World Academy of Art & Science was founded as a network of concerned individuals committed to addressing the multi-faceted global challenges of the modern era. It would appear that a small group of people – no matter how distinguished – cannot expect to have significant impact on problems that span the entire globe and confront all of humanity. But appearances can be deceiving. On closer examination, we discover that each of our members is a member of many...
Actions to Enhance Global Security*: Focus on WMD and Terrorism   ( Peace and Security )
“We need a new paradigm for the 21st century which is not dependent on what worked in the 20th century.”  Get Full Text in PDF Politicians are distracted with the on-going economic crisis and instability. While understandable this is far from the only challenge facing the world. If we are to seize the opportunities of the future then we have to address the legacy of the past and nowhere is this more evident than on defense and security issues. The blunt truth is that security...
New Paradigm in Human Development: A Progress Report   ( Knowledge, Science & Values )
 Get Full Text in PDF The current socio-economic-political paradigm is destroying our most precious capital – natural, human and social. The current paradigm is non-sustainable. It has to be changed! The required paradigmatic change will have to be one of the most dramatic in the history of humankind, comparable to or even more profound than the agricultural, commercial, democratic, and industrial revolutions of the past. Recent WAAS conferences at the United Nations in Geneva and Library...
Reflections on the Future of Global Higher Education - WAAS Conference Report   ( Education )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Education is the most important catalyst of social evolution. Today higher education is in the early stages of a revolutionary transition that will have immense impact on the future of global society. This article presents an overview of perspectives explored at the World Academy's Forum on Global Higher Education conducted at the University of California at Berkeley on October 2-3, 2013. It examines issues resulting from rapid changes in educational...
A Revolution and a New Paradigm in Education
 Get Full Text in PDF Knowledge is the sustenance of civilization and culture. Language is the instrument for mental comprehension and transmission of knowledge. Education is the means by which each generation passes on to the next in a concentrated, systematic manner the cumulative knowledge and wisdom acquired in the past. Of all the technologies developed by humanity, none is as powerful and sophisticated as the means we have fashioned to gather, organize, store, share and transmit...
Human Centered Development Perspective   ( Economic Theory ), ( Knowledge, Science & Values )
Get Full Text in PDF Insights from Trieste The Trieste Forum in March 2013 marked a significant milestone in the effort of the World Academy to evolve a comprehensive, integrated, transdisciplinary perspective for addressing global challenges. An initial presentation on the physics of Dark Matter aptly illustrated the need for new thinking in the social sciences. If the most mathematically rigo- rous of physical sciences is compelled to postulate the existence of an unknown, invisible...
In Search of a New Paradigm for Global Development   ( Knowledge, Science & Values )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The World Academy has recently launched an initiative to bring together like-minded organizations and individuals to examine the root causes of the multiple challenges confronting humanity today and formulate a comprehensive strategy for addressing them. Its central premise is that viable, effective solutions can be found to meet the entire spectrum of economic, ecological, political and social challenges by formulation of an integrated perspective,...
Editorial: Call for a Revolution in Economics
"The starting point is a human-centered theory of value that recognizes human welfare as the central objective and the creativity of human capital as the ultimate resource and source of all others." The discipline of Economics is at a cross-roads. Either it undertakes a comprehensive reevaluation of its fundamental postulates and a critical reassessment of their utility to solve real world problems or it risks sliding further into irrelevance. It is time for a renaissance of thinking in...
The Power of Money   ( Economic Theory ), ( Money & Finance )
This is Part 1 in the Money Series. Part 2 "Multiplying Money" is available here. Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Although we all use money every day, the nature and functioning of money seem shrouded in commonplace myths and ancient mysteries. Money plays a central role in economics today, yet rarely do we come across a serious, informed discussion of what money really is and what role it plays in the development of society. Money is a remarkable human invention, a mental symbol, a social...
Book review — Money and Sustainability: The Missing Link   ( Books ), ( Economic Theory ), ( Money & Finance )
Get Full Text in PDF A Report from the Club of Rome – EU Chapter to Finance Watch and the World Business Academy By Bernard Lietaer, Christian Arnsperger, Sally Goerner and Stefan Brunnhuber Triarchy Press 2012 This report by WAAS Fellow Bernard Lietaer and his associates addresses important theoretical and practical issues regarding modern monetary systems. The central thesis of the report is that effective monetary systems must optimize performance on two complementary goals — efficiency of...
Recognizing Unrecognized Genius   ( Education ), ( Mind, Thinking & Creativity )
Get Full Text in PDF At the 2012 Global Roundtable conducted in Split, Croatia in July, co-sponsored by the World Academy of Art and Science, the organizers proposed introduction of a new TESLA award for unrecognized genius, an acronym for The Earth Supreme Level Award. This is an important and commendable initiative by philanthropist Hares Youssef which directly ties into the Academy’s exploration of mental creativity and the limits to rationality. While the emphasis of the TESLA Awards will...
From Limits to Growth to Limitless Growth   ( Economic Theory ), ( New Economics )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The publication of the Club of Rome’s landmark report ‘The Limits to Growth’ in 1972 shook the intellectual foundations of social theory and challenged the very premises on which modern economy and prosperity are based. Once set in motion, it led to a revolutionary re-evaluation of human aspirations and economic activities. Among its many consequences, it has stimulated creative minds to look freshly at the underlying processes governing the wealth and welfare of...
Human Capital
Editorial Society is a teeming ocean of human energies and capacities, unorganized but latent with unlimited productive potential. The organization of social energies and capacities converts social potential into Social Capital. Each member of society is a microcosm of human potential – an unorganized reservoir of energies, aspirations, and capacities. The organization of the energies and capacities of each member of society converts human potential into Human Capital. The formed Individual is...
Immediate Solution for the Greek Financial Crisis   ( Money & Finance ), ( New Economics )
“The tremendously wasteful underutiliza­tion of precious hu­man resources and productive capacity is Greece’s most serious problem and also its greatest opportunity.” The recent agreement to write off a substantial portion of Greek bonds only postpones but does not resolve the essential problem. The key to the Greek crisis lies in economy, not finance. Any financial solution that results in further contraction of the economy will only aggravate budget deficits and debt servicing...
Great Transformations   ( Economic Theory ), ( New Economics )
Great landmarks of history are few and far between. Normally they are recognized by scholars only long after the fact. Those in the thick of the fray may often be consciously inspired by the significance of their actions, but rarely does history come to share that perception. The rise of individualism in ancient Greece, its revival during the Italian Renaissance and the radical transformation of society following American, French and Industrial Revolutions retain a claim to lasting significance...
The Great Divorce: Finance and Economy   ( Economic Theory ), ( Money & Finance ), ( New Economics )
Social networking did not begin with the Internet. It is as old as human history. For what we now call social networking is really the evolution of human relationships which constitute the backbone of civilization. The emergence of the Internet is the third giant leap forward in a saga that began with the development of symbolic spoken language, the first great instrument that enabled human beings to evolve beyond their animal ancestry. Second came the invention of money as a symbol of value....
Economic Crisis and the Science of Economics   ( Economic Theory ), ( New Economics )
“Focusing on growth of the part without reference to its impact on the whole is a formula for social disease.”  The American subprime mortgage crisis, the international financial crisis that followed and the European financial crisis presently centered on Greece are all expressions of a deeper and wider crisis that has been preparing to surface for decades. This crisis encompasses not only government fiscal deficits, exchange rates and financial markets but spreads out in...
Inside This Issue
In moments of crisis, all thoughts are preoccupied with immediate remedies to meet urgent needs, rather than reflection on root causes and ultimate solutions. Yet history suggests that it is only when we are under supreme duress that we are willing to put all the cards on the table and consider the comprehensive and fundamental changes needed to effect permanent solutions. Thus, it required the dire circumstances of the Great Crash and the Great Depression to give birth...
Global Prospects for Full Employment   ( Employment ), ( New Economics )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract* The recent international financial crisis highlights the crucial role of employment in human welfare and social stability. Access to remunerative employment opportunities is essential for economic security in a market-based economic system. As the rise of democracy compelled nations to extend the voting right to all citizens, employment must be recognized as a fundamental human right. In total defiance of conventional wisdom, since 1950 job growth has outpaced...
Inside this Issue
Cadmus Journal has been launched to promote leadership in thought that leads to action. The first issue focused on wealth and welfare and concluded that a paradigm change is necessary - a change as profound as the paradigm change in physical sciences at the beginning of the 20th century and much more profound than the Copernican paradigm change. The first issue of Cadmus identified major issues that need to be addressed by the new paradigm. In this issue Orio Giarini, Ian Johnson and Patrick...
Invitation from the Editorial Board
Fellows of the World Academy of Art & Science, The Club of Rome, and the Pugwash Conferences Dear Friend, By now you should have received the first issue of Cadmus, and we - the Editorial Board - welcome your comments and suggestions. This journal is meant to be interactive, a vehicle for all of us to work together on issues that youdeem important. The development of human-centered economy explored and humbly outlined in the first issue of Cadmus is reinforced by independent endeavors of...
A Project on The Wealth of Nations Revisited
“Leadership in thought that leads to action” is the phrase Harlan Cleveland, President of the Academy from 1991 to 2000, adopted to characterize the mission of the Academy. We — and the world — need it now, more than ever. We need innovative and truly fresh ideas, ideas that can open up new directions in the evolution of Earth and humanity. We need ideas that will enable us to better understand our own cultures within a global context, ideas that will inspire and motivate people and lead us to...
Indicators of Economic Progress: The Power of Measurement and Human Welfare   ( Measures & Indicators ), ( New Economics )
Get Full Text in PDF Table of Contents Introduction Tools and Measures Measures of National Income Need for New Theory Measures and Indicators Characteristics of a Successful Indicator The Problem of Value What are we trying to measure? Alternative indices Components of Economic Welfare Human Economic Welfare Index (HEWI) Composite HEWI Conclusions Endnotes 1. Introduction Right measurement is a powerful instrument for social progress; wrong or imprecise  measurement a source of hazard...
Introductory Paper for a Programme on The Wealth of Nations Revisited   ( Economic Theory ), ( New Economics )
Get Full Text in PDF Table of Contents Introduction Theoretical Discontent From Newtonian to Human-Centered Economics Future of Work Money, Finance & Wealth The Service Economy Scarcity, Surplus & Markets Equity, Freedom & Social Stability Integration of Politics — Economy — Society Essential Issues for the New Economics Endnotes 1. Introduction Civilization is an instrument fashioned by human beings to improve the welfare and well-being of our race through a wide range of...