Henry Leveson-Gower, Author at PEP - Promoting Economic Pluralism

Author: Henry Leveson-Gower

Funding Nature Based Water Solutions in the River Almond – Executive Summary

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Nature based measures can reduce water pressures while restoring habitats, storing carbon and improving places, but their benefits in the River Almond are distributed across different sites, assets, organisations and time horizons. This report examines how that distributed value could become credible demand for regeneration actions, drawing on catchment mapping, interviews, technical discussions, a cross-sector … Continued

Ten years of PEP: From challenging economics to changing economies

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Ten years ago, Promoting Economic Pluralism (PEP) began with a deceptively simple question: how can we tackle the huge economic, social and environmental challenges facing the world if the people advising governments and businesses are trained to think about the economy in essentially one way?  How is innovation possible if there is no thinking outside … Continued

From woodland residues to healthier soils: testing biochar on South Devon farms

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An ADOPT-funded project is exploring whether locally produced biochar can improve grassland soils and farm resilience. PEP is supporting project delivery and the development of practical evidence for other farmers. Heavy rain, compacted soils and unreliable grass growth create connected challenges for livestock farmers. Water running off a field can carry nutrients away with it, … Continued

From surplus vegetables to local value: testing a shared fermentation kitchen in Oxfordshire

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An ADOPT-funded project is exploring whether shared fermentation facilities can help growers recover value from surplus crops. PEP is providing project support, market research and evaluation having supported the original funding bid. A glut of cabbages can represent a successful harvest and a commercial headache at the same time. The vegetables have already required land, … Continued

From flax to fibre: putting new economic thinking into practice

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PEP is providing economic and project management support to an ADOPT-funded project in Devon exploring whether small-scale flax processing can help growers retain more value from their crops—and what it takes to build a more resilient local economy. What connects a field of flax in Devon with economic pluralism? Quite a lot, once we start … Continued

Why we needs buyers’ clubs for nature-based water outcomes

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A new project in the River Almond catchment is asking a simple but important question: if nature-based solutions can reduce flood risk, improve water quality and protect infrastructure at the same time, why do we still struggle to organise funding for them? This blog explains the logic behind the Almond Buyers Club and why it … Continued

Kapwing is our solution for getting better engagement

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We are developing a new direction for our magazine, The Mint. We want more engagement from the young in thinking differently about economics. After all, as the saying goes, the children are our future. They need to understand the dysfunctional nature of our economic systems and not be seduced by the mainstream economic myth of … Continued

Governing the Accreditation System – for comment

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We need to make sure that the accreditation system upholds –  and importantly develops –  the values and spirit of economic pluralism in teaching. It also needs to be accountable to the wider stakeholder community. So how can we do that? Here are some initial thoughts for your comment. We have looked at other similar … Continued

Accreditation – Assessment, Compliance and Learning – For Comment

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Objective To seek comments on proposed processes for assessing whether masters programmes meet the criteria for taking a pluralist approach to teaching economics and ensuring ongoing compliance and collective learning. Context In general university department programmes are not accredited but do have to be approved by internal university processes, which take some time and are … Continued

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Draft Criteria for teaching economics from a pluralist perspective – now closed for comment

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1. Recognition of the existence and potential value of a range of different perspectives from economics and other disciplines for understanding economic related issues. Rationale: This is the core value of those who take a pluralist approach to understanding the economy. 2. Incorporation of a reasonable breadth of perspectives into the curriculum with an expectation … Continued

What it means to take the heart seriously in economics education

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Everything starts with an integral conception of the human being, radically different from the conventional-Cartesian view that the human being is a brain encapsulated by the skin. An integral conception of the human being naturally acknowledges that we are much more than thoughts, be these rational, or irrational for that matter. I would say historically, … Continued

Tackling the ‘Crisis of Conformity’ in Economics Teaching

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The conformity in economics teaching in many ways is the most damaging aspect of our current economics discipline. Thousands of graduates all round the world enter work each year with the impression that there is only one way of thinking about organising our economies. Innovative and critical thinking is crushed just when we need it … Continued