Economy & Ecology

The Perfect Storm: Economics, Finance and Socio-Ecology

Our world is headed into a Perfect Storm of an interconnected financial, ecological and social crisis. Almost all forward-looking assessments demonstrate that business as usual and ... Read more

Double Factor Ten: Responsibility and Growth in the 21st Century

A large part of the elites all over the world are still used to thinking in terms of competition of nations rather than in terms of international cooperation. What is called for, instead, is a way of thinking ... Read more

Money, Debt, People and Planet

There is now an increasing interest in such outside-the-box thinking even in conservative institutions, which are aware that the “wealth” created by the current financial system is increasingly illusory ... Read more

European Transition into a Socio-ecological Market Economy

Transition into an SEME (Socio-ecological Market Economy) needs a conscious societal evolution and full development of the human potentials for active learning and knowledge transfer ... Read more

Can we Finance the Energy Transition?*

We have a financial sector out of control, divorced from the real economy and incapable of providing the liquidity at the scale needed to address key sectors of the real economy ... Read more

Socioeconomic and Environmental Performance: A Composite Index and Comparative Application to the USA and China

The transition towards a new paradigm involves an international movement which integrates the natural and social sciences in order to address the prerequisites for sustainable development ... Read more

Twelve Action Lines For a Better World

"Freedom without responsibility has its limits. In particular, focus should be on the equality of freedom." ... Read more

Quest for a New Paradigm in Economics - A Synthesis of Views of the New Economics Working Group*

The call for new economic theory is based on the premise that the persistence of poverty together with rising levels of unemployment, inequality and ecological degradation reflect the limits of the present conceptual system, rather the practical limits for sustainable human development .. Read more

Previous Pause Next

No More Excuses! Why the Climate and Ecological Emergencies Demand a New Paradigm Barry Gills, Jamie Morgan Get Full Text in PDF Abstract In this paper we reprise some of the themes set out in our recent special issue of Globalizations, which explores the contributing role of mainstream economics in the current climate emergency. We provide a brief update on the current state of the declared ‘climate emergency’ and we make the case for a paradigm shift informed by quite different principles, including... Read more	Repurposing Economies Towards Life Petra Kuenkel Get Full Text in PDF Abstract On a global scale, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over; we experience forest fires of frightening magnitude, floods and storms scare many people to evacuate their homes. Not only do young people say that time is running out, the latest IPCC 2021 report paints a depressing picture of our collective future and many scientists are increasingly warning of the many... Read more
Principles of Sustainable Economy: An Anthropologist’s Perspective Thomas Reuter Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Contemporary economies must undergo a transformation to sustainability if we are to avoid a descent into ecological and socio-political crises of ever escalating severity. In order to achieve such a major reform, principles consistent with sustainable ecosystems and social systems need to be identified and applied systematically. What are these principles in... Read more	Quest for a New Paradigm in Economics - A Synthesis of Views of the New Economics Working Group* Garry Jacobs, Mark Swilling, Winston P. Nagan, Jamie Morgan, Barry Gills Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The remarkable economic achievements of the past two centuries have cast an illusion of omniscience on the discipline of Economics, which even repeated catastrophic policy failures have still not entirely banished. The gap and disjuncture between prevailing economic wisdom and its effective application to promote human welfare and well-being are enormous and... Read more
Twelve Action Lines For a Better World F. J. Radermacher Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article describes a global governance system that—from the author’s point of view—would lead to sustainability and allow the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have just been adopted at the UN level. Major elements are (1) the integration of existing international regimes in the area of the UN, WTO and the world financial... Read more	Socioeconomic and Environmental Performance: A Composite Index and Comparative Application to the USA and China Joanilio Rodolpho Teixeira, Danielle Sandi Pinheiro, Anna Eloyr Vilasboas Get Full Text in PDFAbstract This paper deals with an analytical framework to provide a measure of overall performance which involves both socioeconomic activities and environmental sustainability using a recent Index of well-being. The composite indicator, created by Medrano-B & Teixeira (2013), is associated with the so called “Magic Square”, a diagram stimulated by the... Read more
Can we Finance the Energy Transition?* Ian Johnson Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The energy sector is pivotal to our aspirations for a sustainable planet and yet two major challenges face policymakers worldwide. The first is to decide what set of technical choices provide the best solution to meet social, economic and environmental agendas; and the second is to decide how these choices can be financed. The bulk of new energy demand will... Read more	European Transition into a Socio-ecological Market Economy Erich Hoedl Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The European Union has introduced the Europe 2020 Strategy and Horizon 2020, which contain several elements for a transition into a Socio-ecological Market Economy. But their implementations are mainly hampered by the unduly large financial sector and the political striving for high economic growth. A turn into low growth equilibrium needs a reduction of total... Read more
Money, Debt, People and Planet Jakob von Uexkull Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The widespread failure to understand money creation plays a key role in the current policy impasse. In a world ruled by money, this failure disempowers and prevents serious consideration of alternatives. The key reasons why we are not moving faster in tackling the global crises are, we are told, because it is too expensive, there is not enough money, it is not (yet... Read more	Double Factor Ten: Responsibility and Growth in the 21st Century F. J. Radermacher Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Since the world conference in Rio in 1992, the world has been facing the challenge of consciously organizing sustainable development. The goal is no less than the organization of growth compatible with sustainability, together with the creation of a global social balance and the preservation of ecological systems. In this context, the demands of a global ethic and... Read more
The Perfect Storm: Economics, Finance and Socio-Ecology Ian Johnson Get Full Text in PDF A Commentary* The world is at an inflection point. A convergence of themes – seemingly disconnected – is integral and urgent to our very survival. Our world is headed into a Perfect Storm of an interconnected financial, ecological and social crisis. Almost all forward-looking assessments demonstrate that business as usual and incremental improvements will not be sufficient... Read more