The Economics of Happiness—creating a more equitable world

A one-day forum on the Economics of Happiness in London on 14 September.

The emphasis will be on the need for 'localisation' as opposed to 'globalisation' so that everyone has the opportunity to share in the benefits of the global and local economies. As the UK's new prime minister had said, we need to create an economy that works for everyone. There will be an emphasis on the spirit of trust needed to make this possible.

What if human well-being didn’t have to be at the expense of the environment? What if we could simultaneously increase genuine prosperity, reduce social inequality, and tackle climate change? With some simple economic shifts, all this becomes possible. That’s because so many of our current crises—financial, social and ecological—are linked to the scale of the economy. Localisation is a solution-multiplier that systemically reduces economic scale, creating benefits that ripple throughout society. In this daylong seminar, Helena Norberg-Hodge will share an alternative paradigm she calls the ‘economics of happiness’. Her talk will highlight human-scale economies and the steps—at the community, national, and international levels—that can bring us there. She will be joined by Lawrence Bloom, a former chairman at UNEP and at the World Economic Forum, and Diego Isabel La Moneda, founder of Global Hub for the Common Good. Helena’s film The Economics of Happiness will also be screened and, in discussion with the audience, the speakers will explore how we can sustainably meet both human and ecological needs by going local.

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