Kate Raworth Quotes Page 2

“In the words of the systems thinker John Sterman, 'The most important assumptions of a model are not in the equations, but what's not in them; not in the documentation, but unstated; not in the variables on the computer screen, but in the blank spaces around them'.”

“It’s time to draw the economy anew, embedding it within society and within nature, and powered by the sun. This new depiction invites new narratives—about the power of the market, the partnership of the state, the core role of the household, and the creativity of the commons.”

“Just as there is no such thing as the free market, it turns out that there is no such thing as free trade: all cross-border flows are set against the backdrop of national history, current institutions and international power relations.”

“Nudges and network effects often work because they tap into underlying norms and values — such as duty, respect and care — and those values can be activated directly.”

“People’s sense of reciprocity appears to co-evolve with their economy’s structure: a fascinating finding with important implications for those aiming to rebalance the roles of the household, market, commons and state in any society.”

“Pre-analytic vision. Worldview. Paradigm. Frame. These are cousin concepts. What matters more than the one you choose to use is to realize that you have one in the first place, because then you have the power to question and change it.”

“Regenerative industrial design can only be fully realised if it is underpinned by regenerative economic design.”

“Rethinking economics is not about finding the correct one (because it doesn’t exist); it’s about choosing or creating one that best serves our purpose—reflecting the context we face, values we hold, and the aims we have. As humanity’s context, values and aims continually evolve, so too should the way that we envision the economy.”

“Thanks to the scale of our impact, we have now left behind the Holocene and entered uncharted territory, known as the Anthropocene: the first geological epoch that is shaped by human activity.”

“The challenge now is to create economies – local to global – that help to bring all of humanity into the Doughnut’s safe and just space. Instead of pursuing ever-increasing GDP, it is time to discover how to thrive in balance.”

“The Doughnut’s inner ring—its social foundation—sets out the basics of life on which no one should be left falling short.”

“The essence of that industrial system is the cradle-to-grave manufacturing supply chain of take, make, use, lose: extract Earth’s minerals, metals, biomass and fossil fuels; manufacture them into products; sell those on to consumers who — probably sooner rather than later — will throw them ‘away’.”

“Today’s economy is divisive and degenerative by default. Tomorrow’s economy must be distributive and regenerative by design.”

“Toddlers just 14 months old will help others by handing them out-of-reach objects, and children as young as three will share their treats with others.”

“We are born pattern-spotters, seeing faces in the clouds, ghosts in the shadows, and mythical beasts in the stars.”

“We have an economy that needs to grow, whether or not it makes us thrive. We need an economy that makes us thrive, whether or not it grows.”

“We would have to be crazy to kick ourselves out of the Holocene’s sweet spot, but that is, of course, exactly what we have been doing.”

“What if we started economics not with its long-established theories but with humanity’s long-term goals, and then sought out the economic thinking that would enable us to achieve them. I tried to draw a picture of those goals and, ridiculous though it sounds, it came out looking like a doughnut...”

“Words are processed by our short-term memory where we can only retain about seven bits of information. Images, on the other hand, go directly into long-term memory where they are indelibly etched.”

“Worldwide, one person in nine does not have enough to eat.”

“Labour's mission should be to create a UK economy that's regenerative and distributive by design – one that meets the needs of all within the means of the living planet. Aiming for 'growth' simply won't deliver on that.”