Money is a human invention

What if we were to re-invent it, to introduce and serve a sustainable, regenerative society?

The 2021 and 2022 Higher Education Summits (HES) focused on economics.

A survey of innovative economics teaching turned up numerous adjectives: not only doughnut economics but also plural economics, regenerative economics, sustainable economics, intentional economics, quantum economics…

…but sadly little new content. 

One reason: the nature of money is taken as a given.
“Money is not considered an important subject in itself. Economists, it seems, think about money less than most people do.” – David Orrell (writer, mathematician)

And yet:
“Money is the highest leverage point for improving all other systems.” – Bernard Lietaer (economist, author and educator)

We propose to tackle head-on the question: 

What may money look like in a sustainable, thriveable society? 

We’ll use the powerful futures thinking tool Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), and expect by the end of the workshop to have a small set of responses, as a basis for further experimentation, research, and education.

Event host: Lawrence Kampf

Facilitator: Marcus Bussey, Senior Lecturer in History and Futures, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia

Co-facilitators: Miriam Sannum (ecologist, lecturer, sheep farmer)

Marcus Bussey, based at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, is an educator and cultural entrepreneur who combines his work in academia with engagement with colleagues both within and without the ‘hallowed halls’ of the university system.

Miriam Sannum is an ecologist and pedagogue who has worked with collaborative and transformative processes for 30 years. She has worked with authorities and NGOs, both as municipal ecologist and as consultant, has facilitated many futures-oriented processes with mixed groups, and has taught at the Swedish West University.