Doughnut Economics in Manchester: The Start of Something Beautiful

On 7th May I hosted two ‘conversation’ sessions that marked the beginning of an exploration of what "Doughnut Economics Manchester" might do, might look like and how it might function, including whom it needs to serve, listen to, and how.

These conversations were born from an awareness that although I initiated the group, it was always supposed to be about the people of Manchester, and the last thing I wanted to do was to dictate - in any way- what alternative economics (doughnut-shaped or otherwise) might look like in the region.

I was just hungry to see something new and exciting happen.

Below is a summary of conversations from a morning and an afternoon session. For brevity, I have summarised the key points from both sessions together.

If you attended either of these sessions and have more to add, or did not attend but would like to contribute to the conversation please feel free to do so in the comments, and/or to come along to our next session. Details of which will be made available on our LinkedIn page.

Before the summary, a huge thanks to everyone who did come along or who supported the conversations, notably Corin Bell Kyle Soo Carl Quinn Laurence Adams and Marie Saddoo . It sounds hyperbole but everyone who attended the conversations blew me away with their creativity, passion and knowledge of Greater Manchester and its citizens. The conversations left me feeling filled with hope about the future, which in an increasingly dystopian feeling era is quite an achievement. At least for this old head.

Thanks everyone,

Graeme

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Awareness of the failings of our modern economy and its alternatives was highlighted as a key outcome of the group. However, a recurring theme was the need to go beyond merely educating people alone. Instead, the group must strive to create positive impact through real projects in our communities.

Such work will help to raise awareness of what 'what could be' – by demonstrating in a very real and tangible way what alternative approaches to the economy might look like (in so doing helping to foster advocacy and inspire further action). Doing so also ensures that the group doesn't just end up with talking, but that it results in outcomes that directly benefit people and helps us to better live 'within the doughnut'.

It was also highlighted that an essential component of the group's approach has to be engaging with Manchester’s different communities to understand their unique perspectives on what a fair and just society looks like to them. For example, what is their version of Doughnut Economics? What is their interpretation? What are their alternatives? Importantly - what are their solutions Importantly, it is (of course), important to listen and work with these communities to ensure that anything the group does is co-created with very people it looks to support.

However, while focusing on community needs is crucial, it was raised that we must not lose sight of planetary boundaries. There is a temptation to prioritise these sorts of groups in immediate human needs, but an attendee raised that we must also remember that ecological and planetary issues pose significant threats to us all, and that they require urgent and drastic action. A key outcome for the group should be to understand these global ecological challenges in the context of Manchester, assess their impact on the region, and determine actionable steps the region and its people can take to mitigate these threats or to adapt to them.

In adopting solutions, attendees raised the need to ensure they have a distinctly local flavour, rooted in Manchester’s unique history. There was consensus on the need to define what a "Manc" approach to action means - again speaking to the need to listen and seek out co-created solutions.

On this theme, an idea was raised to draw inspiration from Manchester’s historical roots. Manchester has a rich history of social movements dating back to the Industrial Revolution. Reflecting on these historical events and the work of these iconic people may provide valuable lessons and insights for our current efforts for a more fair and just society. It would be interesting to explore what the voices of our past might say about Doughnut Economics!

On the practical side, it was clear that managing the group across all facets of Doughnut Economics will be challenging. Several organisational models were proposed.

·????? One option is to adopt a "lo-fi" approach, encouraging actions and projects to develop organically in an ad-hoc manner by those with the passion to do so, and with a core group merely acting as a community in which such groups could co-ordinate around.

·????? Alternatively, a more structured model proposed had a central committee responsible for securing funding, organising events, and raising general awareness. This central body would oversee "Doughnut Bubbles" that focus on specific regions of Greater Manchester, or on particular aspects of Doughnut Economics (i.e. one Bubble for each Social Foundation/Planetary Boundary). These groups, perhaps led by a passionate lead coordinator, would come together periodically to showcase their collective achievements and to plan future activities (i.e. at quarterly/ 6 monthly gatherings).

Regardless, it was recognised that some form of a core group would be needed to keep things moving along.

Prior to the conversations the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) had asked me if I could change the name of the group to getter align with their guidance. No clear suggestions were put forward during the conversations and were differing opinions on whether to include 'economics' and/or 'doughnut economics' in the name.

For now, as I need to change the name, I have selected the temporary name of "The Manchester Doughnut Economics Collective". This can be refined over time, however I think a key point here is that the name of core group is probably less relevant than the names and language that are used for individual events/projects through which the group will seek to have impact

In terms of next steps, a Slack channel has been created by Carl Quinn of Solvers to begin facilitating conversations. It's already a fairly active space so please do connect with Carl on LinkedIn if you would like to join the group.

Regarding LinkedIn... as the only person actively working on the group at the moment, and with me operating a strict blanket ban on other social media, the group currently only exists here. I realise this isn't exactly walking the walk of everything I have written above, but I hope to branch the group out into different channels soon as the community builds. If you would like to lead on that please let me know!

I will be organising a follow-up discussion to explore these points and more in the coming weeks – please do get in touch if you are interested in participating or organising but details will be posted on LinkedIn when available.

Thanks,

Graeme

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