Ten principles for transforming economics in a time of global crises

Ten principles for transforming economics in a time of global crises | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Analysis Ten principles for transforming economics in a time of global crises Jasper Kenter, Simone Martino, Sam Buckton, Sandra Waddock, Bina Agarwal, and 10 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4130905/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 May, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Sustainability → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Transformation of economic systems is widely regarded as an essential strategy to tackle interacting global crises. In response, there are diverse transformative approaches seeking holistic human and planetary wellbeing. However, mainstreaming these ‘new’ economic approaches is hampered by vested interests and intellectual lock-in. They are also diffuse and struggling to develop sufficient discursive power to gain more widespread traction in policy. To bring coherence, we undertake a qualitative content analysis of diverse transformative new economic document sources from science and practice, synthesizing ten ecological, social, political economy and holistic principles cutting across 38 approaches. They include: ( 1 ) social-ecological embeddedness and holistic wellbeing; ( 2 ) interdisciplinarity and complexity thinking; ( 3 ) limits to growth; ( 4 ) limited substitutability of natural capital; ( 5 ) regenerative design; ( 6 ) holistic perspectives of people and values; ( 7 ) equity, equality, and justice; ( 8 ) relationality and social enfranchisement; ( 9 ) participation, deliberation, and cooperation; and ( 10 ) post-capitalism and decolonization. We also consider opportunities and barriers for applying these principles in the context of global crises. Future efforts can further consolidate transformative new economics through building discourse coalitions between approaches, synthesizing methodologies and conceptual models, and validating principles more explicitly within Global South contexts. Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Economics Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Interdisciplinary studies Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Environmental economics economic theory interdisciplinarity economic transformation sustainability transformation heterodox economics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files GANE10principlesNatSus2ndrevisionSupplement.pdf Supplementary material - Results and Methods Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 May, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Sustainability → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4130905","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Analysis","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":283997164,"identity":"aa9513b7-a7df-410c-9933-4c6840c45c31","order_by":0,"name":"Jasper 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In response, there are diverse transformative approaches seeking holistic human and planetary wellbeing. However, mainstreaming these \u0026lsquo;new\u0026rsquo; economic approaches is hampered by vested interests and intellectual lock-in. They are also diffuse and struggling to develop sufficient discursive power to gain more widespread traction in policy. To bring coherence, we undertake a qualitative content analysis of diverse transformative new economic document sources from science and practice, synthesizing ten ecological, social, political economy and holistic principles cutting across 38 approaches. They include: (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) social-ecological embeddedness and holistic wellbeing; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) interdisciplinarity and complexity thinking; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) limits to growth; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) limited substitutability of natural capital; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e) regenerative design; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e) holistic perspectives of people and values; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e) equity, equality, and justice; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e) relationality and social enfranchisement; (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e) participation, deliberation, and cooperation; and (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e) post-capitalism and decolonization. We also consider opportunities and barriers for applying these principles in the context of global crises. 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