Partners for a New Economy

🌍 🏫 What would Thomas Malthus think if he had attended this week’s #NatureActionDialogues at Jesus College Cambridge, where he once roamed the halls? Malthus's groundbreaking work, "An Essay on the Principle of Population", can be seen as a precursor to today’s concept of planetary boundaries — a reminder of the delicate balance between nature, economy and society. 💸 The key takeaway for me from the insightful conversations this week was clear: Rather than focusing on closing the estimated $700 billion USD annual biodiversity funding gap, our focus needs to shift to transforming the entire global economy — valued at around $100 trillion USD annually — so we can thrive sustainably. 🛣️ We discussed crossroads and how, although we haven’t yet been able to halt or reverse biodiversity loss, it is never too late to turn things around. The momentum to act is real, and now is the time to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable future, we can only do this together, and it was great to see a great balance of participants UNEP-WCMC Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Proteus Partnership #NatureAction #Biodiversity #SustainableEconomy #PlanetaryBoundaries #Nature #UNEP #EnvironmentalAction #Sustainability Neville Ash Jonathan Hughes Matt Jones Sharon Brooks Rodrigo Cassola Stacey Baggaley Sebastian Bekker Mariana Martinez del Rio de la Torre Simon Webb Cate Lamb Katy Baker Connie Holmes David Obura Paula Harrison Abyd Karmali OBE Jo Swinson Grant Rudgley Susanne Schmitt Rhona Turnbull Kimberley Chan Melis Ford Sam Burke Nadine McCormick Sylvaine Rols Frederik Buchholz Thomas Maddox Helen Avery Haki Pamuk Caroline Van Leenders Sarah Nelson Johanna Gloel, PhD Lenka Moore Tom McKenna Edward Ellis Edward Pollard Frank Hawkins

What’s next beyond GDP? Today’s dialogue in Geneva brought together policymakers, researchers, and thought leaders to ask: how can we move toward economies that prioritize wellbeing—for both people and planet and redefine prosperity beyond traditional economic indicators? We were proud to co-host this important conversation with the The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva, where our own Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder and Livia Bizikova shared IISD’s work on comprehensive wealth. Thank you to all the inspiring speakers who joined us—Özge Aydogan (UNOG), H.E. Matthew Wilson (Permanent Mission of Barbados), Anu Peltola (UNCTAD), Brad Olsen JP (Infometrics), Karen Goebel (Permanent Mission of Germany), Lara Fleischer (OECD WISE), and Emiliana Rickenmann Montes (Latinas for Climate). Read more about the complexity and urgency of moving beyond GDP here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gum6yNfd

Thrilled to share our latest New Economics Foundation report by Lydia Prieg, Dominic Caddick, Stanislas Jourdan, Theo Harris, and myself. With climate change and geopolitical tensions increasing economic disruptions, we argue that a more deliberate approach to monetary-fiscal coordination would help central banks fulfil their price stability mandates more effectively while enabling more investments in infrastructure, climate action, and economic resilience—helping to reduce future price instability. Inflation has become a decisive issue for elections and political stability. Rising prices, particularly in essentials such as food, energy, and housing, have a direct and visible impact on voters’ everyday lives. Public dissatisfaction with inflation often erodes trust in the government, making it a key battleground in electoral contests. Ensuring price stability through monetary-fiscal coordination is therefore not only an economic imperative but also a political necessity. What we explore in the report: 📌 How monetary-fiscal coordination has evolved and its impact on inflation management 📌 The right policy tools for different inflation scenarios—supply-driven, demand-driven, or deflationary (see graph in post) 📌 A governance framework to improve coordination while maintaining central bank independence Key recommendations: 🔹 Clarify central banks’ secondary mandates—aligning monetary policy with broader economic goals 🔹 Establish an independent Economic Coordination Council (ECC) to flag policy misalignments 🔹 Reform fiscal rules and establish a European fiscal capacity Link to full report in the comments!

𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐀𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐓𝐇 – 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐏𝐔𝐓 (𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝟑𝟎 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓) - https://lnkd.in/e57M78Hr   In July 2024, I presented a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on ‘Eradicating poverty beyond growth’. This report broke from convention, challenging the prevailing economic growth-centric development model and traditional poverty reduction strategies that have failed to deliver on their promises; instead exacerbating inequalities and environmental collapse. Reimagining the fight against poverty is an urgent challenge. Since last summer I have been working with partners from within the UN, academics, CSOs, activists and others to move this work from presenting 𝘸𝘩𝘺 a post-growth approach to poverty eradication is required and what it could look like, towards proposing 𝘩𝘰𝘸 this transformation could be achieved in practice. This work will culminate in a practical ‘𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡’, a blueprint for concrete policy action that will guide governments and international agencies in adopting policies that prioritize human rights, care, and well-being within planetary boundaries. Today I have published a 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 to help inform and guide this Roadmap. Your submissions will be key to shaping the Roadmap (which will be presented as part of my report to the UN Human Rights Council in June/July 2026) – ensuring it reflects diverse contexts and perspectives – and will undoubtedly influence global discussions on eradicating poverty beyond growth. I am extremely grateful for your support in sharing this opportunity to contribute to a Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth, and for taking the time to submit written input. More information on how to submit can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e57M78Hr

Last night I attended the book launch of "The Care Economy" by Tim Jackson , sixteen years after seeing him launch "Prosperity Without Growth" in Parliament. Both books share a fascination with what fundamentally matters to us all, seeing prosperity as much more about health, than wealth. This core truth was beautifully demonstrated by Dr Sam Everington who asked the audience: "what makes you feel well?". Answers included "time with friends and family", "gardening", "a sense of purpose" and "a dog walk". And yet we have an economy that squeezes out care and attention as 'inefficient' in creating financial value. At the same time, as Tim explores, care is the foundation of all organic life, and indeed of the economy. I'm looking forward to delving into the book to understand more about how we can shift economies to value care. Plus there's a chapter called Fuck the Patriarchy... #wellbeingeconomy #careeconomy #economy #care #economics

Democratic backsliding does not happen overnight. It is a subtle, gradual erosion over time. What we often focus on, anti-immigration sentiment, polarisation and dissatisfaction with democracy, are just the symptoms. Beneath them, populism, dark money, disinformation, systemic failures, unheard emotion, and unmet needs create the necessary conditions for backsliding to foster and accelerate. To protect democracy, funders must address the root causes of democratic backsliding and not just the symptoms. The “2025 Democracy Briefer for Funders: What’s Happening to European Democracy and What Funders Can Do About It” offers a comprehensive understanding of these issues and concrete ways for philanthropy to act. Read the full report here! https://lnkd.in/eh_Q-Ybp