by Hannah Ritchie in Our World in Data…Most countries spend less than 1% of their national income on foreign aid; even small increases could make a big difference.
Elite fragmentation in the United States: Global or domestic phenomenon?
by Mark Mizruchi in American Behavioral Scientist…The actions of societal elites exert a disproportionate impact on events and outcomes in their home societies. These actions are driven by a combination of factors internal and external to their nation.
The impossible math of philanthropy
by Hans Taparia and Bruce Buchanan in The New York Times…With one hand they generate supernormal profits by plundering society, and with the other they dole out a few crumbs to “save the world.” But they never will. The math simply doesn’t work.
What should philanthropy do about the US freeze on aid?
by Benjamin Bellegy in Alliance Magazine…We can worry that some philanthropies might reorientate their giving to align with the new zeitgeist, for instance divesting from issues such as climate or social justice.
The impossible math of philanthropy
by Hans Taparia and Bruce Buchanan in The New York Times…More often than not, charities work to mitigate harms caused by business. Every year, corporations externalize trillions in costs to society and the planet. Nonprofits form to absorb those costs but have at their disposal only a tiny portion of the profits that corporations were able to generate by externalizing those costs in the first place. This is what makes charity such a good deal for businesses and their owners: They can earn moral credit for donating a penny to a problem they made a dollar creating.
Rolling out the doughnut
in Beshara Magazine…We talk to Leonora Grcheva of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab about how Kate Raworth’s innovative economic theory is being translated into sustainable practice in cities and regions across the world.
More in this category
Why shifting from prediction to foresight can help us plan for future disruption
by Roger Spitz in World Economic Forum…As the world becomes more complex, foresight methodologies account for a greater set of possible futures.
Scenario development, a foresight methodology, is an alternative to prediction which can help map new possibilities.
Foresight may predict possible futures but more importantly, it allows for preparation.
Paraphilanthropy: Giving money its freedom papers
by Bayo Akomolafe….What addressing philanthropy’s colonial legacies asks of this moment.
The status of U.S. oil production: 2024 update everything shines by dimming
by Roger Blanchard in Resilience.org…The fact that U.S. oil production reached a very high level in 2023 and that so much of the production came from Texas made me think of the first major Texas oil bonanza
A big solar company may be collapsing
by Alana Semuels in Time….One of the largest residential solar installers in the U.S. appears to be on the cusp of failing, the latest sign of the troubled industry’s struggles.
Is there a future in the doomsday economy?
by Alexander Nazaryan in The New York Times….With Fortitude Ranch, the entrepreneur Drew Miller is betting on franchised timeshares for people who are worried about the end of the world.
The status of U.S. oil production: 2024 update everything shines by dimming
by Roger Blanchard in Resilience.org…To maximize profitability of deep water fields, the industry cranks up production rapidly to a high production level, say 100,000 b/d or more, but peak production is reached within a year or two and generally followed by rapid decline.
Shrink the economy, save the world?
by Jennifer Szalai in The New York Times….Economic growth has been ecologically costly — and so a movement in favor of ‘degrowth’ is growing.
New world order?
by Kate Mackenzie and Tim Sahay in Phenomenal World….At The Polycrisis we have been tracking the whipsaw of the global financial system amid private finance mantras, interest-rate hikes at the Fed, and the explosion of debt in the global South.
The European Union’s economic security strategy update
By Emily Benson in CSIS….As partners advance to this new era of technology-driven economic security agendas, governments will need to work concertedly to break the long-standing barriers between trade policy and national security.
A starting point for degrowth: The Costa Rica “Pura Vida” meaning
By Juan Ignacio Marín Degrowth is a theory, a movement, and a practice with a long and distinguished history. The excellent Wikipedia article (worth consulting) starts this way: Degrowth or post-growth economics is an academic and social movement critical of the...
Crop insurance costs explode
by Robert Arnason in The Western Producer…Those massive payments are connected to the severe drought of 2021, which crushed crop yields across much of Western Canada. There’s also the factor of higher prices for grains, oilseeds and pulse crops, which exacerbated the size of crop insurance payments.
Towards multivalent currencies, bioregional monetary stewardship and a distributed global reserve currency
from Dark Matter Labs.org…Ultimately we hope to convene a community who have diverse skills and experiences beyond our own; a distributed team united in designing and building the alternative monetary system that we so desperately require. A first step towards that is to think carefully about what a desirable monetary system might in fact contain.
7 Structural Shifts:
by Indy Johar in Dark Matter… Furthermore, it is also becoming increasingly apparent that as we shift away from our current material economy — a system that has generated abundance for some segments of society and scarcity for others — we are entering an era marked by greater scarcity. This transition could potentially lead us towards a novel concept of abundance. However, this journey is not without its challenges. As we begin to encounter the limitations inherent in our economies, particularly the rise of net-zero-sum scenarios, the risk of conflict and war further escalates.
The world being on fire is swelling ‘catastrophe bonds’ to a record $45 billion—and it’s a key hedge fund strategy
by SHERYL TIAN TONG LEE et al, in Fortune….“I can’t tell you if there’s going to be a hurricane or earthquake this year, obviously,” said Hagood of Nephila Capital. “But what I can tell you is spreads are near historical highs in the sector. So broadly speaking, we believe the market is being well paid for the risk.”
In “The Ministry for the Future,” new ideas from ancient wisdom
By Forrest Brown in The Long Now Foundation….When we are bound in a system of reciprocity, not return on investment, we will be closer to being the kind of ancestors future people need.