A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow

If you are curious about the "seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist" at the heart of Doughnut Economics, check out these one-minute animations that present the essence of each. As you’ll see, the animations are irreverent and playful — just what’s needed to make economics accessible and engaging, in order to open up a far wider conversation about what economic success means this century.

The outside ring of the Doughnut consists of the nine planetary boundaries first identified by Earth-system scientists in 2009. In this 2010 TED talk, Johan Rockström, one of the leading thinkers behind this work, introduces the concept of planetary boundaries and explains why they are so critical in shaping humanity’s future.

Janine Benyus is a leading thinker in the field of biomimicry, which explores and promotes innovation inspired by nature. Her work powerfully explains how nature creates conditions that are conducive to life, and invites the question: What economic and industrial designs are also compatible with conditions that are conducive to life?

Today’s industrial system is degenerative, down the sources of the living world. In this book, Michael Braungart and Bill McDonough set out a regenerative vision for industry, where resources are never used up but are used again and again. It is a powerfully compelling call for the transformation of industry — along with the economic systems within which industry operates.

The economy is a complex, adaptive system, with ever-shifting feedback and dynamics. Donella Meadows's classic book on systems thinking is a great introduction to the core concepts needed for understanding and intervening in complex systems, which makes in a great starting point for 21st-century economic thinking.

In the 20th century, economics lost sight of the commons — the space in which people come together not through the market or the state but as a community to co-create goods and services that they value. This century the commons are resurgent, especially thanks to their potential online, and Bollier’s book is a valuable introduction to understanding and exploring their future possibilities.