Capitalism – in its current form – has let us down. We have seen this truism manifest itself globally, from the disruptive protests of the “Occupy” movements to mainstream debates such as Capitalism in Crisis, the in-depth series that the Financial Times ran at the beginning of 2012.
I recently went to Washington to learn about the new global impact economy being advocated by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and specifically to find out whether it is aligned with social business and social investment initiatives in Europe. Indeed, there is much more commonality than disparity, and (hopefully) this is the beginning of […]
Promoters of the new high speed rail line (HS2) between London and Birmingham claim that it will generate £2 of economic benefit for every £1 spent. The Government says the benefit will be lower, around £1.40. But if a number is the answer, then people are asking the wrong question. What is the real benefit […]
“The real issue at stake is how the EU can maintain its influence and its relevance in a changing world”, said Lord David Howell, UK Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in his keynote speech of the conference. “There is no distinction between Eurozone and non-Eurozone members at all”.
Is the social usefulness of financial instruments misunderstood in a similar way to how, in the darkness, the aspiring animal musicians in the folktale Town Musicians of Bremen are mistaken for being a witch? Financial language is confusing at the best of times, sometimes the same term means different things to various people and on […]
Call it a new kind of capitalism. You make goods to sell to a mass market but your aim isn’t profit. Enterprises are run by workers and customers and surpluses are ploughed back to achieve social goals. Capitalism? Not as we know it. Karl H Richter, co-ordinator of the task force for a European Social […]
Lauri Wylie’s 1963 comedy sketch “Dinner for One” has become a cult classic across Europe and it is obligatory TV viewing every New Year’s Eve in Germany. A spoof version of it emerged this year and became an internet hit. It features Chancellor Merkel as Miss Sophie and President Sarkozy as the Butler who has to imitate Sophie’s imaginary friends through the course of a dinner party. The catchphrase of the sketch is provided by the Butler who asks repeatedly whether it will be “The same procedure as last year?”Read More »
Fiscal consolidation within the European Union means that a stronger social economy is required to deliver where the state can no longer. More non-public capital must be attracted for this purpose via a stronger and better integrated social investment market across Europe. This needs a European wide enabling infrastructure that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate local requirements and contextual issues. For this reason, Euclid Network and FEBEA (Fédération Européenne de Finances et Banques Ethiques et Alternatives) assembled a task force of experienced social investment practitioners from across Europe to explore how the European Commission can most effectively use its limited financial resources to best support social investment across Europe.Read More »
Fiscal consolidation within the European Union means that a stronger social economy is required to underpin the creation of socio-economic prosperity where the state no longer has the resources to act.
More non-public capital must be attracted for this purpose via a better functioning social investment market, one that is integrated across Europe. For this reason, Euclid Network and FEBEA (Fédération Européenne de Finances et Banques Ethiques et Alternatives) assembled a task force of experienced European social investment practitioners to identify how the European Commission can most effectively use its limited financial resources for this purpose. Read More »
This part of the Manifesto describes how the ideas presented in Part 1 and Part 2 can be implemented through undertaking integrated development projects for the creation of self-sufficient communities – the approach has been named the Plexus Concept as a working title and summarised in the paper below.
Karl H Richter will present the Plexus Concept on 11 Nov 2011 at the 5th Mont Blanc Meeting in Chamonix, this is an international forum for social economy leaders and the opening plenary of this year’s meeting will include Lula da Silva, former President of Brazil.Read More »
Karl H Richter 