Topic

Economy

Commentary

Imaginaries on Sustainability Transformation – Report outlines three positive futures

Imagining futures where society has successfully undergone a sustainability transformation helps us envision a world in which today’s major negative trends have been brought under control. But what kind of positive futures have been proposed in recent years? At the request of the Finnish Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, Demos Helsinki conducted a literature review and drafted three preliminary visions of such futures.

Innovating urban development: Lessons from M4EG & moving beyond growth

Two key lessons from our work in the Mayors for Economic Growth project, in collaboration with UNDP: 1) Innovation needs to occur at multiple levels and 2) If we’re to be effective, we must remain humble.

What’s going on with GDP? Rethinking economic success

For decades, GDP has stood unchallenged as the primary measure of economic success. As calls to move beyond GDP grow, two approaches have risen to prominence: supplementing it with broader measures, or abandoning it altogether to redefine economic success. What is the best path forward in the debate on GDP?

What if: Mental health through transforming the economy

What if solving the mental health crisis requires transforming the economy itself? Here, we challenge the conventional focus on individual treatments and call for a systemic shift towards addressing the socioeconomic drivers behind mental health issues.

For a wellbeing economy, we need to transform governance

The wellbeing economy offers a new framework for governance, with wellbeing as the core objective for policy. Despite its potential, governments struggle to integrate wellbeing into governance effectively. Demos Helsinki’s work identifies key principles – participation, evidence, measurement, and long-term investments – to bridge the gap between purpose and practice, shaping a governance framework that places human and planetary wellbeing at the heart of economic strategy.

How to introduce a wellbeing economy model

Finland pioneered a governance model for the wellbeing economy, integrating social and planetary wellbeing. Its approach involves broad stakeholder involvement and political prioritization. To implement it elsewhere, countries must tailor localized governance models. Finland’s experience highlights the importance of holistic, multi-stakeholder approaches and integrating ecological goals into policy frameworks.

Publications

Universalism in the Next Era: Moving Beyond Redistribution

Universal Basic Income (UBI) has emerged as a potential solution. However, it is not enough to merely reform systems of redistribution. We in Demos Helsinki believe that it is time to examine social security from a broader perspective.

Bees and Trees – Unique Partnerships to Co-create Sustainable Business

This manual presents a model for strategic partnerships between small companies (bees) and large companies (trees) for the co-creation and development of groundbreaking products and services. This need is particularly relevant in the field of consumer cleantech, where changes in consumer behaviour are often radical and systemic. Small companies and startups…

The Nordic Digital Promise: Four Theses on a Hyperconnected Society

The Nordic Digital Promise aims to inspire politicians, officials, entrepreneurs and a broad range of people to see the social opportunities that these new technologies offer  – and make our way to the future that can be described as digital paradise.

Projects

Using economic instruments for sustainable behaviour change

Even though economic instruments for sustainability purposes have long been implemented in the national policies across the Nordics, their effectiveness remains understudied. This project evaluates the effectiveness of environmental taxes and charges in shifting behaviours of consumers and producers towards a more sustainable direction in the Nordic countries.

MERGE: Building economic policies beyond GDP

Despite being an established indicator of economic growth, GDP is debated to overlook the true essence of citizens’ quality of life and overall wellbeing. This project aims to improve knowledge on indicators beyond GDP, alternative and more sustainable policy options, and scenarios for a sustainable future.

Navigating impactful R&I policy and technology neutrality

As technological breakthroughs can play a critical role in addressing societal challenges, research & innovation (R&I) policy needs to shift the focus from merely appreciating the inherent value of technology development to exploring how they can be harnessed for achieving key societal goals. This project aims to produce a knowledge base to ensure Finland’s R&I policy is strategically impactful while remaining supportive of emerging technologies.

People

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