What is a Wellbeing Economy?
A wellbeing economy is an economy that serves all life — not the other way around.
I borrowed this (in paraphrase) from the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, a collaboration of changemakers working together to transform our economic system.
When it really comes down to it, an economy is ultimately how humans, as a species, have organised to care for one another and our home (the planet). The current dominant economic models are causing rampant disconnection, waste, and violence.
We can (and are) doing better, developing systems that work for all people and the planet.
“In a Wellbeing Economy, the rules, norms and incentives are set up to deliver quality of life and flourishing for all people, in harmony with our environment, by default.”
The happy news is, we make up these rules, norms, and incentives, and we have the power to remake them.
For a deeper dive by people who have been doing this much longer than I have, scroll down through The Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) homepage.
WEAll is an umbrella organisation, but this movement of movements runs much deeper, with over 300 movements contributing in some form to these ideas. Some of the other terms you’ll hear for this are Regenerative Economics, Circular Economy, Game B, Resource Based Economy, Social Enterprise, Cooperatives, Transition Towns, Bioregional Weaving, Solarpunk, New Economy, Community Wealth Building, etc.
Think of them as each working on solutions to different parts of the problem, or approaching a better world from different directions. A lot of them overlap, but many of them also don’t know the others exist!
But it’s a real Tower of Babel out there, which makes it hard to see the common threads that weave through them all and organise around that, so for my part, I break down the systems, clear out the noise, and make this accessible for everyone, so we can more clearly see our place in these movements (which you’re likely already a part of), and be intentional about creating a better life for you and your community, and a better world for us all.
Intro to WE Post Series
These posts will bring you up to speed on some basic systems theory behind economics that work better for everyone and what we can learn from over 300 movements working to create a better world.
Your Wellbeing Economics Questions Answered (FAQs)
Have questions after getting your feet wet? These FAQ posts might help. (See all FAQs here.)
Wellbeing Economy Documentaries, Films & Media
Visual learner? Luckily, there are some fantastic documentaries available now, most that you can watch for free online!
Nerds only Section: interested in the Systems/Complexity/Network Theory and Culture Science Behind this?
Woohoo! Glad to have you. I don’t have a white paper published yet, but here are some resources for what’s behind the theory of change we are weaving in our mission to take wellbeing economies mainstream. Check out The Faros Project for a pitch deck on this and follow the newsletter for updates as we apply this (or join in the fun!).
You may also read our draft document on a project originally called Connection Engine (now separately The Faros Project and Connectioning) on how strategic amplification and network effects can create rapid, non-linear, large scale change to an economy in service of life.
Ready to dive in to the new economy?
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