An Oxfordshire Doughnut Economics Project

Introduction 

Grant funded by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC), hosted by Aspire, delivered by an Oxfordshire Doughnut Economics project group - this report represents six months of  part-time research and collaboration to bring momentum to Oxfordshire's Doughnut journey.

🚀 Ambitious in scope and radically pragmatic, the goal was to accelerate understanding of the potential for Doughnut-Economics-in-application across three core work streams;

💡 This early-stage envisaging, with tangible outputs for engagement, allows us to consider how we might begin to think about embracing Doughnut Economics here in this County - for this we stand on the shoulders of giants and give thanks to other counties, cities, regions and even neighbourhoods who are blazing this trail here in the UK and beyond; Leeds, Ladywood Birmingham, Glasgow, Cornwall, Devon, Bad Nauheim, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Brussels, Barcelona. You have inspired us so much!

And with HUGE thanks to; 

🍩 The Oxfordshire Doughnut Economics Collective for the momentum and energy they generated for Doughnut Economics in the County, and to the ODEC Core Team for their role in co-designing a fantastic brief with OCC.

⚡️Oxfordshire County Council who not only funded the project, but welcomed us into their offices,  provided access to Council officers and data, embraced a collaborative approach to developing a preliminary data portrait, and were ever-curious and energised in their participation to accelerate this work.  

🙏🏽 Lastly to Aspire, without which this project would not have been possible - thank you for hosting the project and supporting the team throughout. 

The Approach

Effectively part research, part envisioning we worked in focused research sprints, accelerating our learning to quickly inform development within the project’s constraints - a tight window of six months and a fixed, relatively small budget.

We applied the 4D Design process as research methodology and a lean agile-scrum approach to our working. Combined, this allowed us to work iteratively, collaboratively, and at pace to deliver ambitious outcomes in a primarily desk-based research project.

The Outputs.

Inside the attached, full report you will find;

1. The Preliminary Data Portrait, re-rolled!

Top-line results, data narratives, and a very early-stage re-rolling of all four lenses; Global Ecological, Global Social, Local Social and Local Ecological.

The preliminary data portrait shows how we're doing socially and ecologically both here in Oxfordshire, and with respect to global impact on planetary and human wellbeing.

This year's Global Donut Days Theme was 'Local Action, Global Connection'; so, leading the storytelling with the global lenses, the data portrait report brings visibility to Oxfordshire's global impacts, a starting point for nesting local action in global responsibility.

As one senior policy officer noted, "there's a lot of red on it!".  Whilst in-part confronting, the report also shines a light on the enormous potential in Oxfordshire for addressing 'the red bits'.

And there are plenty of gaps. Nick-named ‘baby Doughnut’ internally, this prelim data portrait becomes the springboard for further engagement and enrichment. 

2. Early envisioning for portrait-of-place and decision-making tool alignment
 
The brief for this piece changed part way through the project due to internal constraints, however the report unpacks some early approaches for shifting from more holistic impact assessment, to decision making tool that invites transformational mindset shift through design functionality.

3. A Framework for a Doughnut-informed Inclusive Economy

Bringing this thinking together, and giving consideration to how Doughnut Economics can help engage and mobilise all parts of the Oxfordshire Economy - the the market, local Government, Oxfordshire's dynamic commons, and households - we've developed a framework for a Doughnut-informed inclusive economy in Oxfordshire;

Where to Next?

The Portrait of Place, or ‘Doughnut’,  in every place, is a call to action for everyone.

Some practical next steps for each 'work stream' are included in the report.

Before diving into action, we need to create space for wider reflection.

Time to pause. This report will be the first time for many people to really engage with what the preliminary Doughnut is telling us so far.  This deserves space for reflection and consideration.

Time to re-group. The work needs time and space to travel. To be shared and interrogated. For people to discuss and consider where to next and how to build capacity.

Time to co-create. The Doughnut needs a home and it needs keystone partners to help take this work forward, in partnership.

And in the spirit of the commons, we submit this work to the pluriverse and invite anyone to pick it up, play with it, challenge it, or coalesce around it.

We’re landing the full report now in December 2024, but will follow up with more bite-sized stories in the New Year. For those interested in participating in how we can engage and collaborate with others to help this work travel, find contact details below.

Oxfordshire Doughnut Project Team:

Duncan Brown

@Duncan Brown Design Strategist and Futurist

Doughnut Design Lead

Agile Scrum Master
E: dunx.bee@gmail.com 

Helen Gordon

@Helen Gordon Regenerative Design Practitioner 

Tool Lead

E: helen@nestedliving.co.uk 

Siobhann Mansel-Pleydell

@Siobhann Mansel-Pleydell Strategy, Activation, Narrative

Client Lead
Preliminary Data Portrait Lead

Framework Lead

E: siobhann@maketitgood.io 

Joel Petterson

@Joel Petterson Ecological Economics MSc Graduate

Preliminary Data Portrait - Data Lead

E: joel.j.petterson@gmail.com 

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For enquiries related to Oxfordshire Doughnut Economics Collective email 

@Evelyn Sanderson at oxfordshiredoughnut@gmail.com