Economics for the Many, Not the Few: How Can We Build Wellbeing Together?

We all need housing, food, water and other essentials if we are to survive, let alone thrive. And in modern society, we are expected to acquire these essentials through the market. So, economics should concern us all.

Unsurprisingly, people who write books on economics are widely read. Some are even making it onto the best seller lists. In this post, our Director Roger Higman reviews two such books to see if they throw light on a critical question of our times – how can we build wellbeing together?

Frome’s Economy: From Blind Growth to Wellbeing

In our series of articles looking how we might move towards an economy that is focused more on wellbeing, we asked Della Duncan, co-producer of Upstream, to describe how one Somerset town is putting the theory into action. Upstream is an online media initiative committed to understanding and spreading ideas and practice relevant to the New Economy.

It’s the Economy, Stupid

“It’s the economy, stupid”. The infamous words of Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist were instrumental in his ultimately successful campaign to win the 1992 US Presidential Election. Since then, his slogan has become a mantra for politicians who wish to hone in on what they believe to be voters’ biggest concerns. But where does wellbeing fit into this?

When Others Care, But We Don’t See It

Do you wring your hands in frustration, wondering why, when faced with profound inequality or climate change, other people don’t seem to care as deeply as you do yourself? This blog post is written by Common Cause Foundation Director Tom Crompton, who shares research suggesting that other people care more deeply that we might think.

Share Shop : A library of Things – Coming to Totnes

Here at the Network of Wellbeing, we have been seeding a Share Shop in Totnes. The great news is we now have a venue thanks to Totnes Town Council and a grant to support us thanks to The Big Lottery fund. The council have granted us a space to pilot the Share Shop in The Guild Hall garage on Guild Hall Yard. The Share Shop would enable local people to borrow all sorts of useful things at nominal cost so that they don’t have to buy them for themselves. The aim is to encourage the sharing economy; to help people connect more, spend less, consume less, and waste less.