Do we need a new economic model? Friday April 4, London-Tällberg Foundation conversation on challenges in our current economic models.
Friday, April 4th, 14.30 – 18.30 at the Work Foundation, 21 Palmer Street, London, SW1H
Invitation to the first London Tällberg Conversation“Do we need a new economic model?”
(download the program in PDF format)(download map in PDF format)
Resistance to change is always profound, particularly where the established, dominant model is seen to deliver much benefit. This is undoubtedly the case with respect to economics. The globalised market economy has delivered impressive results bringing prosperity, innovation and empowerment to hundreds of millions of people. However, as the evidence of detrimental side effects on the natural systems mounts, calls for a re-think of the practices and frameworks of our economy are getting louder.
We warmly invite you to join the first Tällberg Conversation in London where we will address this issue, with a focus on where obstacles to re-thinking may lie and where implementation of alternatives can already begin.
This Tällberg Conversation is part of a series of events run by the Tällberg Foundation addressing the need to re-think elements of our activities at the global level in view of the emerging risks. It is increasingly clear that business as usual is gradually undermining a peaceful long-term human evolution. A new model for value creation that can satisfy legitimate human interests without threatening the integrity of natural systems seems far away today. During an interactive and stimulating afternoon discussion, we will ask not only whether we need a new economic model, but also, how could one begin to be put into practice. This is a systems problem, simultaneously opening up a wide range of questions relating to how we think about progress and development, how we measure positive change (GDP, shareholder value, etc), incentivise organisations and individuals (decentralised share ownership, monetary reward, etc) and more generally organise power and accountability within society.
We will approach this systems challenge through the lens of natural systems. The stability of these, after all, is not a matter for negotiation - but rather a prerequisite for human prosperity. Understanding these "boundary conditions" of human activity must therefore be the starting point of any discussion.
This Tällberg Conversation is part of the preparations for the Tällberg Forum 2008, entitled “How on Earth can we live together? In search of the Common Sense”. Leaders and thinkers from seventy nations will gather in Sweden at the end of June for four days of conversations and workshops related to the opportunities and challenges of global interdependence.