Regenerative Economics for Secondary Schools

Just one week left to register for this month's virtual lab! Join us on Feb. 25 as we dive into "Shifting perspectives on commoning" The commons are more than just shared resources; they are living systems where communities come together to meet their needs while nurturing relationships with one another and the environment. Let's explore what makes the commons such a vital part of our economies: how commons are designed, how they relate to other provisioning institutions, why care is so important to their function, the narratives that undermine them and how we can strengthen commoning for a diverse and resilient economic system. Link to register: https://lnkd.in/eSAWzYJa

We recently published a discussion paper on five key shifts needed to reform secondary school economics education. We’re posting the highlights of one shift per week over five weeks - here’s the second. Shift 2: Clarify the purpose of the economy "We have economies that need to grow, whether or not they make us thrive. What we need are economies that make us thrive, whether or not they grow." – Kate Raworth This quote captures why economics (and business!) education needs a rethink. Too often, economics is taught as a system for maximising profit and growth, sidelining deeper questions about purpose. We need to reorient the curriculum to show that the economy’s role is to meet human needs within planetary boundaries—not to chase endless expansion. This means integrating models like Doughnut Economics and the embedded economy, and recognising that economies must operate in alignment with nature’s principles. Instead of prioritising profit and GDP growth for their own sake, economics education should focus on sufficiency, resilience, and regeneration—ensuring well-being for all within the limits of the planet. The 21st century presents urgent challenges—from climate change to widening inequalities—that demand economic systems designed for long-term health, not short-term gain. Instead of reinforcing the scarcity mindset that assumes "there is not enough," we should be teaching students to build economies that strengthen ecosystems 🌱, foster thriving communities, and create resilient, regenerative futures. Economics curricula can lay the foundation for this shift. It’s time to rethink what we teach—and why. Learn more and check out the discussion paper: https://lnkd.in/euFVD7F2

Kate and the team at Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) were awarded Personality of the Year by the Rat für Formgebung - German Design Council at the German Design Awards on February 7th in Frankfurt. There to receive the award with Kate were DEAL community members Jennifer Brandsberg-Engelmann, lead author of Regenerative Economics for Secondary Schools, and Yuge Lei, Sustainability Manager for the City of Bad Nauheim, Germany. "It's an honour for DEAL's work to be recognised by designers", said Kate, "because once we realise that economies are designed, then we see that they can be redesigned. This is the task ahead." Find out more about the German Design Awards, the impact of design, and more in this interview with Kate from behind the scenes at the award ceremony here: https://lnkd.in/dtm-3Pwf Photo credit: Salar Baygan #DoughnutEconomics #GermanDesignAwards #GermanDesignCouncil

A bustling neighbourhood garden, a shared library of tools, and open-source software are all examples of commons. But what exactly are the commons, and why are they so important? The commons are more than just shared resources; they are living systems where communities come together to meet their needs while nurturing relationships with one another and the environment. If students learn about the commons at all, it's usually the "tragedy of the commons" narrative, priming students to believe that human cooperation to protect shared resources isn't possible. We can do better! Join us on February 25 at 12pm CET for our February virtual lab! We'll explore what makes the commons such a vital part of our economies: how commons are designed, how they relate to other provisioning institutions, why care is so important to their function, the narratives that undermine them and how we can strengthen commoning for a diverse and resilient economic system. Link to register: https://lnkd.in/eSAWzYJa Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) Carolina Escobar-Tello (she / her)

Thanks to everyone taking part in England's Youth Shadow Panel - an initiative to provide youth with a way to give recommendations for the Francis Review of the English national curriculum. The interim report is now out! Here are some key findings - young people: 👉 feel their learning isn’t relevant to modern life 👉 prefer more practical and interactive lessons and assessments, allowing them to develop skills and get more deeply involved with the subjects rather than "simply staring at a screen” 👉 want more emphasis on nature, sustainability, and climate change 👉 experience a lack of diversity and inclusivity in what they learn and how they learn 👉 feel overwhelming stress and anxiety around exams The good news is that there are so many initiatives out there working to address these issues, ours among them, so the Francis Review has plenty of ideas and practice to draw from for its recommendations. Have a look at the full report: https://lnkd.in/ev632irx

We recently published a discussion paper on five key shifts needed to reform secondary school economics education. We’ll post the highlights of one shift per week for the next five weeks. Shift 1: Widen the systems boundary of the course Ask a group of students what "the economy" means, and most will mention markets and money—if they can answer at all. That’s because mainstream economics education defines the economy through a narrow lens, focusing almost entirely on markets while sidelining households, the commons, and the state. 📢 This needs to change. The way we teach economics shapes how students understand the world. When the curriculum treats social and ecological factors as ‘externalities’ and government action as an ‘intervention,’ it reinforces outdated and harmful ideas—like the notion that humans are separate from nature. 🌍 What if we taught that our economies are a part of an interconnected web of social and ecological systems? Expanding the systems boundary in economics education would: ✅ Recognise all the ways societies organise to meet human needs—not just markets, but also households (care work), commons (self-organised management of shared resources), and the state (public goods & services). ✅ Help students see that economies are embedded in Earth’s systems, rather than treating the environment as an afterthought. ✅ Strengthen students’ ability to think systemically—helping them understand how power, culture, and ecological limits shape economic realities. ✅ Encourage interdisciplinary learning, integrating insights from ecology, sociology, anthropology, political science and other areas of knowledge. ✅ Introduce economic pluralism, exposing students to diverse schools of thought like feminist, ecological, and complexity economics. The embedded economy model provides a compelling alternative. It shows that markets are just one of four provisioning institutions, all of which interact within social and ecological systems. If we want students to understand 21st-century challenges—climate change, inequality, financial instability—we must teach them to think beyond markets and embrace the full complexity of the economic world. 📖 This is one of five key shifts we propose for transforming secondary school economics education. ❓What do you think? How can we move beyond market-centric economics education? Learn more and get the conversation going:  https://lnkd.in/ghsgd7Ar

What is regenerative economics? We are thrilled to present this fantastic video created and produced by students at International School of Zug and Luzern. Students worked with a design brief to develop the video in their BTEC creative media course with the support of their amazing teachers Ana María Torres and Cate Jarvis. Thank you ISZL students! https://lnkd.in/ejfyQ3Xe

📚 Een van de beste online lesmethodes over de markteconomie die ik ben tegengekomen 📚 Bij Our New Economy ontwikkelen en verspreiden we onderwijsmateriaal over economie. Daarom ben ik altijd op zoek naar goede bronnen – en deze verdient aandacht. Deze gratis online lesmethode over markten en kapitalisme valt op door zijn helderheid en diepgang. Het biedt: 🔹 Een gestructureerde online leeromgeving met testvragen, opdrachten en multimediabronnen. 🔹 Een scherpe, toegankelijke uitleg van marktdynamieken zoals vraag, aanbod en prijselasticiteit, zonder overbodige wiskunde. 🔹 Een brede context: niet alleen marktwerking, maar ook de rol van recht, de staat en historische ontwikkelingen. Ik ben het niet overal mee eens – soms iets meer mening dan ik zelf zou doen in een onderwijsmethode. Maar als compacte introductie tot onze huidige economie is het bijzonder waardevol. De lesmethode is gratis en blijft dat ook. Zeker de moeite waard voor docenten die verder willen kijken dan de standaard syllabi. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dFpcbAme Benieuwd naar jullie gedachten: hoe zouden jullie dit inzetten in de les?

Research reveals that 80% of environmental impacts occur during product development. Embracing circular design principles from the start empowers start-ups and growth-stage businesses to:   ♻️ (Re)think processes and business models ♻️ (Re)design waste and natural systems ♻️ (Re)build a just and sustainable society This is how Impact Hub explains the importance of circular design, and why they support entrepreneurs and businesses to transition to circular models. We were delighted to attend Patagonia's Storytelling Breakfast at the Impact Hub Zürich last Friday where we were able to learn more about the circular movement here in Switzerland. From experts to entrepreneurs, it was inspiring to hear what was happening in the space and the various ways people, organizations, and businesses were working to facilitate the transition. There were great insights from speakers, and what we noticed most of all, was the number of young people in the room. Young people are interested in circular design and we left wondering: 👉 How do we do a better job of connecting schools to local hubs that are bringing stakeholders together to drive circularity in their communities? 👉 How can we connect educators to local innovators so more students can see what circularity looks like in action? Who is driving the circular movement where you live? We encourage you to explore. Learn more about the work of the Impact Hub Network or to check out their circularity toolkit: https://lnkd.in/e-ms3h8v

Interested in the intersection of gender and economics? Join us on Tuesday, January 28, at 12:00 CET for a session that challenges the view of households presented in secondary school economics. Students are taught an impoverished understanding of households as consumers of market goods and services and providers of a vague set of resources. But households are so much more! They are vital spaces for care, human development, and the regeneration of individuals and communities. Despite being one of the core pillars of economic provisioning, households are largely overlooked, with significant consequences for gender equality. This virtual lab will explore the critical functions households play in our economies—and why recognising their full value is key to creating policies that support and strengthen them for more equitable and resilient communities. Sign up and learn more! Register here: https://lnkd.in/erxwiTgM