New Economy Series

Introducing LifeCity’s “New Economy” Blog Series!

The American architect, inventor, and futurist Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

At LifeCity, our mission is to build an economy that works for good. But what exactly does that economy look like? In our New Economy Blog Series, we will explore economic and social ideas that can help shape the economy of the future—one built around sustainability, equity, and impact. 

A word about our goals from the outset: LifeCity is a team of impact experts, and our work is aimed at impact development. Our belief is that impact investment should emphasize equitable and sustainable community outcomes, creating conditions for both people and businesses to thrive. Therefore, installments of this blog will be largely aimed at discussing ideas that promote economic and social arrangements rooted in equity and sustainability. This is our conception of an economy that works for good: an economy that works for people, and not the other way around.

There are a lot of big economic and social ideas out there, coming from all corners of academia and the public and private sectors and spanning the entire ideological spectrum. These ideas range from small, incremental adjustments to our social system, all the way to gigantic, revolutionary shifts that would upend social life as we know it. The tendency to slip into academic jargon or politically-laden buzzwords is a major challenge in public discourse on these ideas. Our goal is for this blog to be accessible and enjoyable for anyone who is interested and to maintain focus on the substance of the material at hand, not the political shorthand that often accompanies these concepts. 

Once a month, LifeCity will publish a blog post as part of this series. These posts will revolve around impact development and will cover topics from a range of disciplines including economics, sociology, ecology, development, and others, showcasing the diversity of ideas, concepts, thinkers, and actors that are already striving to build an economy that works for good. Some posts will critique commonly held assumptions about our economy and society; some will introduce new and cutting edge research or ideas about how to resolve some social or economic problem standing in the way of building a better economy. Some will simply discuss our current moment, the challenges we face, and potential ways forward. 

We hope you will join us as we explore a future in which we can all thrive together. We are already on our way.