The history of Western science may be framed as a series of paradigm shifts – a series of discoveries which fundamentally change the previous ideas and practices in a particular field. Some of the most well-known ones might be Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, or the theory that germs (rather than ‘bad air’) were the cause of infectious diseases.
In 2017, a new paradigm shift for economics was described by the English economist Kate Raworth in her called, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. Doughnut Economics is an approach to sustainable development which suggests that the size of our global economy should be kept between two rings – the ‘doughnut’. The inner ring represents the ‘social foundation’, the minimum that is required for good healthcare, education, food, water and energy supply among other things. The outer ring represents the ‘ecological ceiling’ beyond which the sustainability of the natural world begins to be threatened.
Raworth’s simple but powerful model overturns the assumption of modern economics that growth is a universal good – instead, she argues, we should aim to thrive in balance. This speaks directly into recent British politics: around a year ago, the former Prime Minister Liz Truss set out her strategy of “growth, growth, growth” and labelled those who disagreed with her as “the anti-growth coalition”. But I think it also speaks into our conversations about growth in the Church of England, in which terms including “mixed economy” and “mixed ecology” have been used to describe the church’s future vision and strategy. What might it look like for us as a church to ‘thrive in balance’? What are the principles and practices that might help us on this journey? Perhaps this paradigm shift might even extend beyond economics and towards new theological possibilities.
Revd Angela Sheard
