Doughnut Economics Book Summary

In 'Doughnut Economics', Kate Raworth reimagines the traditional economic model, proposing a new framework that balances human well-being and the planet's needs. She introduces the 'doughnut' as a visual metaphor that defines a safe and just space for humanity, where we thrive without exceeding ecological limits. Raworth critiques the relentless pursuit of GDP growth and presents innovative solutions that prioritize sustainability and equity. Through compelling storytelling and rich examples, she challenges readers to rethink how economies can serve people and the Earth. This thought-provoking book invites all to envision a thriving future that respects both social foundations and planetary boundaries.

By Kate Raworth

Published: 2018

"'Doughnut Economics invites us to reimagine our economic model, placing the well-being of people and the planet at its center, urging us to thrive within the ecological limits of our shared home.'"

Book Review of Doughnut Economics

Economics is the mother tongue of public policy. It dominates our decision-making for the future, guides multi-billion-dollar investments, and shapes our responses to climate change, inequality, and other environmental and social challenges that define our times. Pity then, or more like disaster, that its fundamental ideas are centuries out of date yet are still taught in college courses worldwide and still used to address critical issues in government and business alike. That’s why it is time, says renegade economist Kate Raworth, to revise our economic thinking for the 21st century. In Doughnut Economics, she sets out seven key ways to fundamentally reframe our understanding of what economics is and does. Along the way, she points out how we can break our addiction to growth; redesign money, finance, and business to be in service to people; and create economies that are regenerative and distributive by design. Named after the now-iconic “doughnut” image that Raworth first drew to depict a sweet spot of human prosperity (an image that appealed to the Occupy Movement, the United Nations, eco-activists, and business leaders alike), Doughnut Economics offers a radically new compass for guiding global development, government policy, and corporate strategy, and sets new standards for what economic success looks like. Raworth handpicks the best emergent ideas—from ecological, behavioral, feminist, and institutional economics to complexity thinking and Earth-systems science—to address this question: How can we turn economies that need to grow, whether or not they make us thrive, into economies that make us thrive, whether or not they grow? Simple, playful, and eloquent, Doughnut Economics offers game-changing analysis and inspiration for a new generation of economic thinkers.

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'Doughnut Economics invites us to reimagine our economic model, placing the well-being of people and the planet at its center, urging us to thrive within the ecological limits of our shared home.'

Doughnut Economics

By Kate Raworth