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Have we outgrown our current, growth-obsessed economic system?

It is a system that defines ‘prosperity’ as profit and relentlessly pursues this at the expense of our planet. Its extractive and exploitative practices are driving the climate and nature crisis, damaging human health and fuelling global inequality. 

Is there a viable alternative - one that can help us achieve a more sustainable future? 

In this series, we explore whether the existing economic frameworks are sufficient to deliver climate stability and ecological resilience, and discuss what alternative or complementary paradigms may be required. 

Through events, workshops and articles - we will bring together leading voices from environmental economics, industrial policy, post-growth scholarship, and global political economy to examine the structural conditions of the transition.

View our full programme below

Events

Radical Abundance with Keir Milburn

Thursday, 11th June -  3pm - 5pm

Arts Tower - Lecture Theatre 5

Join us for this fascinating discussion with writer & activist, Keir Milburn, where we will talk about his book '' and explore alternatives to the current economic system, and crucially, how we get there.

There is no need to have read the book prior to coming along. However, in the run up to the talk, we will be running a reading group which will meet several times to discuss the book. .

The book is available in , and can be purchased with a using the promo code: GRANTHAM30.

Work and Prosperity: Capitalist Realities, Radical Futures, and how to get there

Tuesday, 7th July -  5pm - 7pm

The Diamond - Lecture Theatre 6

Work directly connects us to the economic process - it is how we produce and how we earn the money we need to consume. Consequently, work must be a central piece of any rethinking of prosperity.

In this event our speaker, , will draw together empirical modelling and economic philosophy to explore labour dynamics under capitalism, and in radical economic traditions. In doing so he will show how rethinking work can help us achieve our environmental and social goals.

Julia Martin-Ortega

Wednesday, 26h August -  5pm - 7pm

The Diamond - Lecture Theatre 2

Join us for what promises to be an insightful discussion with Professor Julia Martin-Ortega.

Julia is Professor of Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds and Associate Director of water@leeds. Her research explores the relationships between society, ecosystems, and natural resources, with a particular focus on sustainable land and water management, environmental valuation, peatland restoration, and the social dimensions of ecological transition. Her work combines ecological economics with interdisciplinary and policy-focused research to support more sustainable and equitable environmental governance.

The growth dependence of welfare states: Drivers and policy responses

Thursday, 24th September -  5pm - 7pm

Location: tbc

Join us for this fascinating discussion with Professor Milena Büchs as we explore the relationship between economic growth and the welfare state.

Milena Büchs is Professor of Sustainable Welfare at the Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds, UK. Milena's research focuses on sustainable welfare, eco-social policy, just transitions and climate justice. She has published widely on the relationship between economic growth and welfare states and the question of how welfare states can be transformed so that everyone's needs can be met within planetary limits. Milena is currently a Co-Investigator in two Horizon Europe projects, MAPS - Models, Assessments and Policy for Sustainability, and ToBe - Towards a Sustainable Wellbeing Economy. In MAPS, she is leading a work package on sustainable welfare. Prior to joining the University of Leeds in 2016, she was a Lecturer and Associate Professor in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Southampton (2005-2016), and completed a PhD in Social Policy at the Humboldt University Berlin.

Phoebe Koundouri

Thursday, 22nd October -  5pm - 7pm

Location: tbc

In this session we will be speaking to Phoebe Koundouri, Professor of Environmental Economic at Athens University of Economics and Business.

Pheobe is a Professor of Environmental Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business and a Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on sustainable development, climate economics, natural resource management, and the relationship between environmental sustainability, society, and the economy. She is Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Global Climate Hub and has advised organisations including the United Nations, World Bank, European Commission, and OECD on climate and sustainability policy.

Articles

Putting the brakes on ‘Sustainable Development’: why the final sprint is leading us the wrong way

Is the 'Sustainable Development Goals' framework actually damaging to people and the planet? In this article, Grantham Associate, Professor Joanna Gavins, explains why, at its core, the SDGs framework harms the planet by promoting economic growth as the key to prosperity.  Discover why she claims the world desperately needs a new framework for talking about the environment, society, and global justice.

Read the full article about the SDGs framework

Past events

Outgrow the System - film screening and Q&A

Thursday, 21st May -  6pm - 8pm

The Diamond - Lecture Theatre 5

 This film introduces the new economic perspectives that have the potential to change the world at its core. It envisions a world where social movements around the globe can rally behind positive visions instead of opposing dystopias.

Following the film screening, there will be a Q&A with the directors, Cecilia Paulsson and Anders Nilsson.