( - and for economist and politicians) Part 5 So what? The economy is not a stand-alone and boring theme only for experts. The thrive of society at large is dependent on how we understand and handle the economy. How we are able to handle climate crisis and destruction of nature is also heavily dependent on how we handle the economy. Without proper measures of regulation, the mainstream market economy is the instrument for prioritizing private solutions over the common goo

( - and for economists and politicians) Part 4 Labour + The global labour market is looking for the cheapest workforce available. Different rules of the game, however, exist in different countries ranging from labour unions in relatively few countries to clearcut usurpation of workers with wages below living conditions in most countries. Many places it is relevant to speak about modern slavery. Multinational companies use the opportunities given by global finance and weak

( - and for economists and politicians) Part 3 Finance+ The economy is basically global. It is not restricted to national states. Most of its rules of the game have their origin in the US, but are accepted, implemented, and maintained under the umbrella of international organizations like IMF (International Monetary Fund), The World Bank and WTO (World Trade Organization), related to the UN system. Money now has hardly any restrictions passing in or out of almost every cou

( - and for economists and politicians) Part 2 What has Value? When economists, politicians and the press tell us that the economy is going well, and that it is growing, what does that really mean? The market economy of today is, as we have already seen, based on the assumption that only what can be measured in money in the market is what has value. This is reflected in how we measure economic status and development by means of the Grand Domestic Product (GDP). Let us have

( - and for economists and politicians) Despite widely different models for society, the world now has the global economy and its basic rules of the game in common. We are continuously exposed to news about the economy. The news and most public and political publications and debates see the economy, the framework and concepts used for describing it, and its effects, as something self-evident or even law of nature. For politicians a growing economy is their top priority. The e

The Overton-window is a relatively well-known concept describing the specter of political ideas and opinions that are accepted in community conversation. This basically include ideas and opinions that can be formulated at an intellectual level. The Overton-window will usually gradually change with time. The basis for our Overton-window to-day is what I have called “the story”, the neoliberal story. This dominant story defines what can be discussed at all and also the very bas

(Excerpt from the main document) The election of Donald Trump as President of the US with his Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda, and his group of loyal supporters, gaining power, seem to have changed the way of the world for the time being. Trump obviously brings new challenges to the global situation. The global challenges outlined earlier in this book, however, basically also still are equally relevant. These challenges do not automatically disappear. I will try to sor

(Excerpt from the main document) Humanity has decisive choices. We can focus on our fundamental existential challenges, or we can follow rather short-term and random perspectives of power and influence mostly looking for the easy way out seen from our own limited perspectives. Where is the wind blowing today? Is the way of the world something that is just happening or is it something that we are an integral part of? To be a human individual is often difficult. To be in a posi

The UN has prepared and published a report: "Roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth" https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4115930?v=pdf A group of well-known economists has drawn attention to this report in the Guardian: The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.comWe economists have done the maths: 'growth' is a doomed strategy The roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth is an important initiative and document. It represents a wake up signal. The roadmap represents w

Why? William Nordhaus is probably a well-meaning person with excellency in mainstream economics and mathematics. Nordhaus himself does not deny the reality of climate change. He is, however, extremely important because of his reputation also as a Nobel Prize winner in economics. He is followed by a lot of economists, politicians, businesspeople, financial institutions, civil servants and NGOs. His work is very convenient for those prioritizing economic growth at the expense o

This blog post is based on e-mails sent to the Office of the Prime Minister of Norway and all the political parties in Norway in October 2023. I mostly received polite answers, however, indicating that the respondants hardly had read the basic attachment (that is the basic document in this website). The message sent is still relevant, only now more so. I first present the original text in Norwegian followed by a translation to English. Norsk Jeg tar utgangspunkt i en mo

(This is basically an excerpt from the main document) Effective measures at the level of nation-states should come from rich nation-states that in fact have the resources and competence to execute relevant measures. Nation-states that contribute substantially (per inhabitant) to global heating and destruction of nature should have an ethical commitment to act. Often, these nation-states are not among those hit hardest by the effects of global heating. Measures must have a lig

(This is basically an excerpt from the main document) Man is an integral part of nature. Global heating and massive destruction of nature is an existential threat for life on earth, including humans. It is a joint challenge and a joint responsibility. What all of us do today has wide consequences for life and humans far away both in distance and time. We cannot grow or buy us out of the crisis that we have created. Handling global heating and destruction of nature requires re