#27 Big questions
Hans Stegeman
Chief Economist Triodos Bank | Group Director Impact & Economics | Columnist | Author | Speaker
Hi all,
I have travelled extensively over the last few weeks and encountered many inspiring discussions, ideas, and confusions. Two main questions came up: First, how radical is the change we need in society to create an economy that delivers well-being for all now and in the future, and second, why is there still a massive mismatch between societal needs and capital that is allocated to them?
Sometimes, we dove deep into some conceptual ideas. We had a session about “questioning the system” at the sustainability forum Springtij at Terschelling. It turned out to be about questioning what the system is. While this might sound trivial, it is very relevant to have a more in-depth discussion about this occasionally. Of course, you might claim that ‘we’ are the system: every relationship we have, every connection and every action of every human being, living species or living organism determines how a system evolves. However, some properties of a system will only pop up in certain interactions: you can say that we are always a traffic jam, but it only occurs when many of us drive a car during rush hour. We are not in a traffic jam; we are in a traffic jam. And because we are a traffic jam (as an emergent property of the system that can occur under certain circumstances), we are all responsible for those features and can only avoid this property by collective action (of course, you can avoid a traffic jam by going by public transport - but this is not solving the collective problem).
Furthermore, the group unequivocally agreed that a system includes everything relevant to our existence. The economy is a subsystem of that total system, and the financial sector is (again) a subsystem. So, I would like to say something about sustainability challenges. In that case, you will always have to discuss the link between economic, social and ecological systems because the economy is embedded in nature and social relationships.
Let’s return to the two huge questions posed in the beginning: How radical is the change we need, and what is wrong with finance? Don’t expect answers, only considerations…
ANZ ????澳新银行 ????Privat Banquer????
5 个月Thanks for sharing Hans Stegeman !!! The traffic analogy is very fitting *merge like a zipper they exclaim!
I believe in the common fabric of humanity and the value of the individual within society. Understanding, cooperation and humility are critical if we are to prosper within the ecological limitations of our finite planet.
5 个月Great piece, esp. beginning which clearly flags the root issue. What is (should be ) purpose of the economy? Instead of "tweaking" we need to look at goals- what type of society to we want, then assess how we can alter the structure of what we have to that end. Without deeper democratic legitimacy neither goals, nor respective system will serve broad society.
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5 个月Thank for sharing
CEO at skateNOW, inc.
5 个月It would be interesting to have you take a look at how small to medium size cities in the US are financing their growth. Take for example Carmel, Indiana. City of about 90,000 people. In the last 10 years it has taken on almost half a billion dollars in debt to build itself into one of the "best" cities in the US. This is a fiscal model that many other cities are following, I suspect because it is easier than having to implement austerity programs (for as long as someone keeps printing money, I guess). Screenshot taken form Carmel's own website.
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5 个月??