Doughnut Economics Meets People’s Planning-Kerala

At the 5th International Congress on  Kerala Studies organized by the AKG Centre, Thiruvananthapuram on 21–22 February, 2026 Professor Jos Chathukulam presented a paper titled “Integrating Doughnut Economics into People’s Planning: A Sustainable Development Paradigm for Kerala and Beyond.”

In his presentation,  Chathukulam explored the relevance of the Doughnut Economics framework as an innovative approach to strengthening Kerala’s decentralized planning process. He highlighted how the principles of Doughnut Economics—balancing social foundations with ecological limits—can complement and enrich People’s Planning, which has long been a hallmark of Kerala’s participatory development model.

The presentation emphasized the need to rethink local development strategies in the context of emerging global challenges such as climate change, ecological degradation, and growing social inequalities. By integrating Doughnut Economics into local governance and planning processes, Chathukulam argued that Kerala could advance a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient development pathway.

Drawing from emerging experiences and global discussions, the paper suggested that local governments, particularly Gram Panchayats, can serve as “social labs” to experiment with new frameworks for sustainable development planning. The approach could help align local development initiatives with broader sustainability goals while strengthening participatory governance.

The presentation generated interest among scholars and practitioners attending the Congress, highlighting the potential of combining Kerala’s legacy of People’s Planning Campaign (PPC) with contemporary sustainability frameworks such as Doughnut Economics to shape the future of development policy and practice.