Bristol to host international Economics of Happiness conference

The world is a a tipping point – culturally, socially and economically – and it’s time to break away from conventional thinking on business, say the people behind a world summit with a difference.

As city leaders from across the globe convene in Bristol for the Global Parliament of Mayors, delegates will also be gathering for the 18th international Economics of Happiness conference.

Co-hosted by Local Futures and Happy City, the three-day event will bring prominent thinkers, activists and innovators together to debate how localism can protect our economy from global financial pressures from October 19-20.

“This conference is a unique opportunity to discuss the ‘big picture’ – moving beyond the narrow left/right parameters of conventional economic thinking to look at root causes and root solutions,” says conference co-host, Helena Norberg-Hodge, a pioneer of the new economy movement.

“Rather than attempting to solve every problem by growing the economy, we need to focus instead on meeting real human and ecological needs. This is what we mean by the economics of happiness.

“The world is at a tipping point – culturally, socially and economically. We urgently need to reclaim our sense of community and our connection to place.”

Hosted across multiple venues throughout the three days, the 2018 summit is the 18th in an international series and will host a series of talks, panel discussions and workshops focused on a ‘global-to-local’ theme.

The brief is to “explore how to shift direction from a globalised system of inequality and environmental degradation towards local cultures and economies that put wellbeing and resilience first”.

Mike Zeidler, director of Bristol-based charity Happy City and conference co-host, says: “We are exactly ten years on from a banking crisis that highlighted fatal flaws at the heart of our economy, yet we still haven’t seen the systemic changes needed to tackle them.

“Rising inequality and climate chaos are clear alarm bells that tell us the current system is no longer fit for purpose. We believe it’s time to look beyond outdated single-issue approaches and harness the power of local initiatives to tackle global issues.

“Come along to inspire and be inspired as we learn how people like us are challenging broken ways of doing things with better, practical and shareable alternatives.”

The conference will host a number of internationally-recognised experts, local leaders and activists for three days of talks, panel discussions and workshops on the global-to-local theme.

Topics include the economics of local food systems, the role of business in a wellbeing economy, the future of cities and the regeneration of community.

Writer and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, will be moderating at the conference.

Keynote speakers include:

·       Stewart Wallis – co-founder of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and a former director of the New Economics Foundation.

·       Colin Tudge – biologist by training and writer by trade, Colin established the Campaign for Real Farming in 2008, the Oxford Real Farming Conference in 2010 and the College for Real Farming and Food Culture in 2016.

·       Liz Zeidler – chief executive and founding director of Happy City, Liz and her team recently launched the Thriving Places Index, the most comprehensive analysis of how well local authorities are doing at creating the conditions for people to thrive ever undertaken.

·       Andrew Simms – author, analyst and campaigner, Andrew co-founded the New Weather Institute think tank and is a research associate at the Centre for Global Political Economy.

·       Stephan Harding – respected author and director of the MSc in Holistic Science at Schumacher College, Stephan is renowned for his inspirational teaching on deep ecology.

·       Chloe Hardy – director of policy and communications at the Sheila McKechnie Foundation, Chloe has an impressive track record in campaigning and currently leads The Social Change Project, aimed at strengthening civil society’s ability to bring about change.

·       Michael Schuman – author, economist and attorney, Michael is a globally recognised expert on community economics, a founding partner of Local Analytics and an adjunct professor at Bard Business School.

·       Helena Norberg-Hodge – pioneer of the new economy movement and recipient of the Alternative Nobel Prize, Helena is a highly regarded and outspoken critic of economic globalisation and has hosted 16 Economics of Happiness conferences across four continents.

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