Module 4: Having constructive conversations with those who hold different views
Meeting the needs of all people within the limits of our living planet
It can be frustrating: Despite the efforts by the economic systems change movement, the ultra-rich and mega-corporations thrive as millions struggle to survive [1] and environmental degradation continues to worsen [2]. To compound matters, many of the people who are being left behind by profit-driven economies are not turning to the ideas of economic systems change. Instead, they are enticed by the promises of populist politicians who respond to complex issues with simplistic soundbites, sketching out solutions that are at odds with scientific evidence.
Meanwhile, politicians who do recognise the 21st century challenges of inequality and the environmental crises, often continue to reach back for 20th century recipes that rely on economic growth to get societies back on track. Neither of these recipes work - resulting in increased distrust, societal division, and democratic disengagement. This division undermines the power of people to come together and to unite against a system that isn’t working for them.
Economic debates are often framed as ‘market versus state’ or ‘capitalism versus socialism’. These old binaries are reductive and outdated. Instead, the wellbeing economy focuses on creating a new economic paradigm that transcends these ‘isms’ and looks at how all four spheres of the economy (the market, the state, as well as households and the commons, see Module 1.3) can work together to meet the needs of all people within the limits of our living planet.
Compassion as a method for economic systems change
Compassion is the antidote to division. It recognises our shared humanity and interconnectedness. By focusing on understanding, connection, and shared values, compassion can serve as a powerful force for unity in the face of social fragmentation. Research shows that approaching conversations with compassion increases the chances of broadening the perspectives of those who hold different views [6] [7]. In contrast, insensitive critique, attack, or finger pointing leads to defensiveness and shutting down of conversations.
Compassion is about open, honest and respectful communication to truly understand the hopes, fears, biases, history and worldviews of others - including the blindspots this inherently entails [8]. It asks for an understanding of the context in which people operate: the pressures, the influences, the assumptions, and the constraints they face, as the basis for jointly moving forwards.
An economy that delivers social and ecological wellbeing is, by definition, an economy that works for everyone. Approaching conversations with compassion opens up doors to identify shared values and visions for moving forward. Module 5 will dive deeper into creating shared visions! But first, this Module will look at finding language that works, showing the momentum, and ways to find common ground in response to some of the common concerns about a wellbeing economy.
References
[1] Oxfam (2025). Takers, Not Makers. The unjust poverty and unearned wealth of colonialism, www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/research-publications/takers-not-makers/
[2] WMO (2024). Greenhouse gas concentrations surge again to new record in 2023. World Meteorological Organization, https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/greenhouse-gas-concentrations-surge-again-new-record-2023
[3] Raworth, K. (2017) Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. Penguin Random House UK.
[4] Gerlach P. (2017). The games economists play: Why economics students behave more selfishly than other students. PLoS One. 5;12(9):e0183814. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183814. PMID: 28873465; PMCID: PMC5584942.
[5] Goetz JL, Keltner D, Simon-Thomas E. Compassion: an evolutionary analysis and empirical review. Psychol Bull. 2010 May; 136(3):351-74. doi: 10.1037/a0018807. PMID: 20438142; PMCID: PMC2864937.
[6] Santos, L. A., Voelkel, J. G., Willer, R., & Zaki, J. (2022). Belief in the utility of cross-partisan empathy reduces partisan animosity and facilitates political persuasion. Psychological Science, 33(9), 1557-1573. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221098594
[7] Klimecki, O. M. (2019). The Role of Empathy and Compassion in Conflict Resolution. Emotion Review, 11(4), 310-325. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073919838609
[8] Trebeck, K. & Grant, L. (2024) Compassion as a method for economic system change, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Futures Institute, https://efi.ed.ac.uk/compassion-as-a-method-for-economic-system-change/
Image source
Eduardo Barrios , Unsplash