Looking back on 2017 – A Peace Economics perspective

2017 saw the publication of Doughnut Economics- a model for keeping within planetary boundaries AND meeting social needs. Keeping within boundaries requires practices to go from extractive to regenerative. We share links on doughnut economics, reflect that it is  150 years since the publication of Capital volume 1 by Karl Marx, and offer our observation that signals we are detecting show that peace wanted to make a come-back, going hand in hand with regenerative economic approaches. Popping up in different places, the awareness seemed to be growing of the good sense in designing economic policies that incentivize taking care of Earth and putting peace first. Indeed, Doughnut economics, by insisting economics must remove suffering, and other signals on the importance of restoring land to support livelihoods not industrial practices all point towards peace economics.

The Peace Significance of the Doughnut

Warning that business as usual will result in starvation.

Understanding how present political economy is actually designed to create poverty and inequality

An earlier signal came from the IMF who have entertained the notion that neoliberal policies have increased inequality and stunted economic growth. Read the FORTUNE Article here or go straight to the report.

Read the book on Doughnut Economics

Doughnut economics gets support from George Monbiot: Finally a breakthrough.

From Extractive to Regenerative

This article highlights a regenerative approach to economics

Calling for a new economic system to stop climate change

Peace is a very old idea that hasn’t gone away…. yet.

Indeed, many examples are coming to the fore of how regenerating land underpins peace in the area. This example from Ethiopia

We held the Invest in Peace Conference  in the very same center where the Germans and French met for reconciliation after WW2.

Learning more about Invest in Peace -Webinar

Capitalism’s famous detractor 150 years on

Marx warned that capitalism’s internal contradictions would cause it to fail. The message has not been forgotten.

UK Shadow chancellor points back to Marx and calls himself a socialist.

Reading Marx Today – a view from a Marxist Economist

 

Click to access GPI17-Report.pdf

 

Maybe 2017 was the year that more and more understood that there are structures underlying the state of global inequality and that wealth redistribution is not something that should happen in 2018 . It is already happening in that wealth is going from poor to the rich. To ensure people have the money to buy essentials – a foundation cornerstone of peace in the world -the redistribution needs to be reduced.

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