Doughnut Economics for Policymakers

Faced with intertwined social, ecological and economic crises, governments need to adopt strategic visions that inspire societal transformation to meet the needs of all people within the means of the living planet. These visions will vary by national context, and need to respect global economic dynamics. We invite you to consider:

• How can a government’s economic vision guide societal transformation towards meeting the needs of all people within planetary boundaries? 
• How can such a vision reflect your place or country’s historical, social, cultural, and ecological context, while also considering its global responsibilities?

Click through the examples below to explore how governments around the world are moving towards these strategic visions. 

Governments need to support the unique contributions of — and interconnections among — households, commons, states, markets and the flows of finance within an embedded economy. We invite you to consider: 

• How can economic strategies and policies account for the energy and material flows that sustain the economy, while recognising the economy's dependencies on our living planet?
• Which parts of the embedded economy - households, commons, states, markets, or finance - are undervalued or dominant in your place or country? What are the consequences of these imbalances?
• Which existing policies and public programmes are perpetuating these imbalances, and how can they be reformed or phased out?
• What new or existing policies and public programmes can address these imbalances and enable all parts of the embedded economy to work together? 

Click through the examples below to explore how governments around the world are moving towards fostering an embedded economy. 

Government policies and programmes can actively foster cooperation, empathy, creativity, and reciprocity by creating conditions that bring out the best in human nature. We invite you to consider: 

• What policies or political rhetoric are eroding pro-social values, norms, practices, and networks? What can governments do to reverse these policies and counter divisive rhetoric?
• Which of your place or country's values, cultural norms, traditional practices, and social networks foster collaboration, care, shared responsibility, and reciprocity among people and the rest of the living world?
• What policies and public programmes could enhance these values, norms, practices, and networks? How can these be implemented, strengthened, or expanded?

Click through the examples below to explore how governments around the world are moving towards nurturing human nature. 

To navigate the complexity of the modern economy, governments need to adopt a systems approach. Applying all seven ways of thinking and reflecting on the deep design of government can help adoption of a systems approach in policy design. We invite you to consider: 

• How can governments use a systems approach to design and implement complementary policies and public programmes that ensure the health of the planet while strengthening social foundations? 
• What barriers prevent governments from adopting a systems approach to address complex societal challenges like inequality and ecological breakdown? How can these barriers be identified and removed to enable more effective, systemic policy making?
• What tools and approaches can help governments better understand interconnections, tackle root causes, engage with high-leverage points, and adopt a learning mindset in policy design and implementation? How can these tools and approaches be improved, scaled, or developed further?

We also invite you to explore the policy examples below, and reflect on how they illustrate different types of systems approaches in policy design. 

Governments need to address the root causes of inequality: ownership and control of the sources of financial wealth creation, including land, housing, water and energy, as well as money creation, enterprise, and knowledge.

Governments also need to work together to reduce global inequality perpetuated by legacies of colonialism, unjust global financial systems and exploitative trade practices. We invite you to consider: 

• What are the root causes of inequality in your place or country, as well as globally? Who owns the key assets for generating financial wealth?
• Which existing policies and public programmes are maintaining or exacerbating inequalities? How can they be reformed or phased out? 
• What are the policies and public programmes that can address the root causes of inequality and reduce inequalities? How can they be created, enhanced or expanded?

Click through the examples below to explore how governments around the world are moving towards distributive economies. 

In addition to market-based policy tools, governments can adopt a regenerative mindset to work with nature, support nature stewards, give nature a voice and reform financial systems to be more regenerative. We invite you to consider: 

• What economic activities in your place or country are causing ecological harms, both locally and along global supply chains? 
• What existing policies and public programmes condone or encourage these degenerative activities, and how can they be phased out while fully supporting those affected by the transition?
• What economic activities could help regenerate nature, both locally and globally? How can policies and public programmes be designed or expanded to support them?

Click through the examples below to explore how governments around the world are moving towards regenerative economies. 

No country currently operates within the Doughnut of social and ecological boundaries, and the global economy — along with many national economies — is financially, politically and socially addicted to GDP growth. The seven ways of thinking, alongside the policy examples collated in this guide, can offer inspiration for governments to redesign economies beyond growth dependencies. This is an exciting space for policy makers to lead, experiment, and innovate. We invite you to consider: 

• How does your place or country currently depend on endless economic growth? How are those dependencies influenced by global factors (such as trade, debt, and international financial systems)? What are the consequences of such dependencies? 

• What policies, government programmes and global factors are perpetuating and entrenching such dependencies in your place or country? How can these be reformed or phased out?

• What new policies, government programmes and global factors can help your place or country move beyond growth dependencies? How can they be created, enhanced or expanded? 

We invite you to explore the examples below, and reflect on how they could help reduce growth dependencies.

The internal rules and processes that govern public finance are critical levers of the deep design of governments. They influence how public resources are managed, allocated, and spent — shaping everything from infrastructure and health care to nature restoration and climate action.

Explore three key levers of public finance by clicking on the cards below.

A government's internal culture shapes everything they do, from policy choices to the management of public services and resources. Though rarely visible, these human dimensions fundamentally determine what governments can achieve.

Explore three key levers of culture by clicking on the cards below.

Successfully tackling complex, interconnected societal challenges requires governments to adapt how they operate.

Explore three key levers of government operations by clicking on the cards below.

The people who hold influence over governments determine their priorities and actions. 

Explore three key levers of influence by clicking on the cards below.

Whether you're a policymaker, civil servant, or engaged citizen, your current position offers unique opportunities to apply new economic thinking that meets the needs of all people within the means of our living planet. Below, we offer some ideas and principles as an open invitation to take next steps.
 

If you're eager to do more, some of the guiding principles and questions below may help you find your own path forward. These draw inspiration from DEAL's central principles and practices, as well as from learnings within the DEAL community and by our allies:

Take a holistic view: explore all dimensions of the Doughnut and the seven ways of thinking. Challenge yourself or your team to engage in actions that embody more than one way of thinking and/or more than one element of deep design: for example, designing policies to be both regenerative and distributive.

Follow the energy: what resonates most with you and your colleagues? Start where genuine enthusiasm exists. Following what excites you most is crucial because implementing new approaches within government requires persistence, creativity, and the ability to maintain motivation despite setbacks.

Take a long-term view: use your constraints as design parameters that focus creativity on what's possible now, while building toward future possibilities. Some efforts may have relatively modest direct impact but create conditions for much larger change down the line. For example: 

• Enhancing how government operates internally (i.e. deep design of governments) may unlock blocked policy possibilities;
• Making current projects more holistic creates conditions for ambitious efforts later;
• Pilot projects demonstrate feasibility and provide evidence for scaling up.