Science Cafe: Transition to a sustainable wellbeing-economy

For half a century now gross domestic product (GDP) – and in particular, its growth – has been the main focal point for public policy. In fact, GDP has almost become synonymous with the “success” of a country. However, is GDP really a reliable measure for the wellbeing of citizens? Does this continuous economic growth not inevitably lead to overshoot of our planetary boundaries? Most importantly, how can we transition towards a society where wellbeing and sustainability are the core goals, rather than economic growth?

In this Science Café, our guest speakers Rutger Hoekstra and Caroline van Leenders will try to answer these questions, and will paint a picture of what is needed to transition towards a sustainable wellbeing-economy.

Rutger Hoekstra is an expert on metrics for well-being and sustainability. He is the author of Replacing GDP by 2030 and the founder of MetricsForTheFuture.com(link is external), a consultancy company that helps governments look beyond GDP and companies Beyond-Profit. He works as a guest researcher at Leiden University.

Caroline van Leenders works for the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, RVO) and is, with more than 20 years of experience, a true expert on sustainable transitions. She has written several books on the topic, and was featured as number 53 in Trouw Green Top 100 in 2016 (and since then, she is part of the jury).

DATE: thursday february 20, 2020
TIME: 19:45
ENTRANCE: free