Doughnut (economic model)

TheDoughnut, orDoughnut economics, is a visual framework forsustainable development– shaped like adoughnutorlifebelt–  combining the concept ofplanetary boundarieswith the complementary concept of social boundaries.The name derives from the shape of the diagram, i.e. a disc with a hole in the middle. The centre hole of the model depicts the proportion of people that lack access tolife's essentials(healthcare, education,equityand so on) while the crust represents the ecological ceilings (planetary boundaries) that life depends on and must not beovershot.The diagram was developed byUniversity of OxfordeconomistKate Raworthin her 2012OxfampaperA Safe and Just Space for Humanityand elaborated upon in her 2017 bookDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economistand paper.
The framework was proposed to regard the performance of an economy by the extent to which the needs of people are met without overshooting Earth's ecological ceiling.The main goal of the new model is to re-frame economic problems and set new goals. In this context, the model is also referred to as a "wake-up call to transform our capitalist worldview".In this model, an economy is consideredprosperouswhen all twelve social foundations are met without overshooting any of the nine ecological ceilings. This situation is represented by the area between the two rings, considered by its creator as a safe and just space for humanity.
Kate Raworthnoted the planetary boundaries concept does not take human wellbeing into account(although, if Earth's ecosystem dies then all wellbeing is moot). She suggested social boundaries should be combined with the planetary boundaries structure. Adding measures such as jobs, education, food, access to water, health services and energy helps to accommodate an environmentally safe space compatible withpoverty eradicationand "rights for all". Within planetary limits and an equitable social foundation lies a doughnut-shaped area which is the area where there is a "safe and just space for humanity to thrive in".
The social foundations are inspired by the social aims of theSustainable Development Goalsof the United Nations.These are:
The nine ecological ceilings are from the planetary boundaries put forward by a group of Earth-system scientists led byJohan RockströmandWill Steffen.These are:
The doughnut model is still a collection of goals that may be pursued through different actions by different actors and does not include specific models related to markets or human behavior. The bookDoughnut Economicsconsists of critiques and perspectives of what should be sought after by society as a whole.The critiques found in the book are targeted at certain economic models and their common base.
The mainstream economic models of the 20th century, defined here as those taught the most in Economics introductory courses around the world, areneoclassical. TheCircular Flowpublished byPaul Samuelsonin 1944 and thesupply and demand curvespublished byWilliam S. Jevonsin 1862 are canonical examples of neoclassical economic models. Focused on the observable money flows in a given administrative unit and describing preferences mathematically, these models ignore the environments in which these objects are embedded: human minds, society, culture, and the natural environment. This omission was viable while the human population did not collectively overwhelm the Earth's systems, which is no longer the case. Furthermore, these models were created before statistical testing and research were possible. They were based, then, on assumptions about human behavior converted into "stylized facts". The origins of these assumptions are philosophical and pragmatic, simplifying and distorting the reflections of thinkers such asAdam Smithinto Newtonian-resembling curves on a graph so that they could be of presumed practical use in predicting, for example,consumer choice.
The body of neoclassical economic theory grew and became more sophisticated over time, and competed with other theories for the post-mainstream economic paradigm of the North Atlantic. In the 1930s,Keynesian theorywas it, and after the 1960s,monetarismgained prominence. One element remained as the policy prescriptions shifted: the "rational economic man" persona on which theories were based. Raworth, the creator of Doughnut Economics, denounces this literary invention as a perverse one, for its effects on its learners' assumptions about human behavior and, consequently, their own real behavior. Examples of this phenomenon in action have been documented,as have the effects of the erosion of trust and community on human well-being.
Kate Raworth explains the doughnut economy is based on the premise that "Humanity's 21st century challenge is to meet the needs of all within the means of the planet. In other words, to ensure that no one falls short on life's essentials (from food and housing to healthcare and political voice), while ensuring that collectively we do not overshoot our pressure on Earth's life-supporting systems, on which we fundamentally depend – such as a stable climate, fertile soils, and a protective ozone layer. The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries is a new framing of that challenge, and it acts as a compass for human progress this century."
Raworth states that "significant GDP growth is very much needed" for low- and middle-income countries to be able to meet the goals of the social foundation for their citizens.
Leaning on Earth studies and economics, Raworth maps out the current shortfallsand overshoots,as illustrated in Figure 2.
The Doughnut framework has been used to map localized socio-environmental performance in Erhai lake-catchment (China),Scotland,Wales,the UK,South Africa,Netherlands,India,globallyand many more.
In April 2020, Kate Raworth was invited to join the City of Amsterdam's post-pandemic economic planning efforts.
An empirical application of the doughnut model showed in 2018 that so far across 150 countries not a single country satisfies its citizens' basic needs while maintaining a globally sustainable level of resource use.
Branko Milanovic, at CUNY's Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, said that for the doughnut theory to become popular, people would have to "magically" become "indifferent to how well we do compared to others, and not really care about wealth and income."