A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow | Kate Raworth

TED2 minutes read

Babies learning to crawl symbolize the basic direction of human progress, which must shift from a focus on continuous economic growth to prioritizing thriving. Transitioning to regenerative and distributive designs within social and ecological boundaries is essential to overcome the addiction to growth in current economies and create a more sustainable future.

Insights

  • Transitioning from a focus on economic growth to prioritizing thriving is crucial for sustainable development and addressing the challenges of the modern global economy.
  • Shifting from GDP-centric policies to a holistic dashboard of indicators, such as the doughnut model, is essential to ensure meeting human needs while respecting ecological limits and fostering regenerative and distributive economic designs.

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Recent questions

  • What is the traditional belief in economic progress?

    Continuous upward growth

  • What is W.W. Rostow's theory of economic growth stages?

    Traditional society to high-mass consumption

  • What is the challenge of the 21st century in terms of economic development?

    Meeting human needs within the planet's means

  • What does the doughnut model represent in economic terms?

    Balance between meeting human needs and ecological boundaries

  • What is the key to overcoming the structural dependency on growth in economies?

    Financial, political, and social innovations

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Summary

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Rethinking Growth: Thriving Over Endless Expansion

  • Babies learning to crawl exhibit a progression from wriggling backwards to pulling themselves up, symbolizing the basic direction of human progress.
  • The traditional belief in economic progress as a continuous upward growth needs to be reimagined to prioritize thriving over growth.
  • GDP, gross domestic product, became the primary goal of policymaking, leading to an obsession with growth in economies.
  • W.W. Rostow's theory of economic growth stages, from traditional society to high-mass consumption, perpetuated the idea of continuous growth without a landing point.
  • Economies have become addicted to growth financially, politically, and socially, leading to a divisive and degenerative global economy.
  • The challenge of the 21st century is to meet human needs within the planet's means, requiring a shift from growth-focused metrics to a dashboard of indicators.
  • The concept of the doughnut model represents a balance between meeting human needs and respecting ecological boundaries.
  • Current economies need to transition to regenerative and distributive designs to address resource use and wealth distribution challenges.
  • The idea of endless green growth is unsustainable, and economies must focus on thriving within social and ecological boundaries.
  • Overcoming the structural dependency on growth requires financial, political, and social innovations to prioritize thriving and balance within the doughnut model.
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