An excellent short video illustrating wealth inequality in the US

If you missed this when it was circulating on Facebook recently, please take a little time to watch this very well-done short video illustrating the reality of income inequality in the United States - compared to what US citizens think it is, and what they wish it was...

What is remarkable is that it is very non-partisan and actually shows that people across party lines have a lot of common ground in their vision of what a reasonable income distribution curve might look like.

http://www.upworthy.com/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact-2

A great time to be a billionaire

Thanks to Conversation Leader and Facilitator Maura Conlon-McIvor who sent in this well-written opinion piece on income inequality,
 Billionaire's Row and Welfare Lines.

The essay calls attention to the horrifying facts about Child poverty in the US and the efforts of our Congress to cut food assistance to poor families:

"The number of Americans now enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is near record highs, and yet both houses of Congress have passed bills to cut funding to the program. The Senate measure would cut about $4 billion, while the House measure would cut roughly ten times as much, dropping millions of Americans from the program."

Author Charles Blow concludes what we all must conclude:  "There is an inherent tension — and obscenity — in the wildly divergent fortunes of the rich and the poor in this country, especially among our children. The growing imbalance of both wealth and opportunity cannot be sustained. Something has to give."

Indeed.  Something has to give.  Let it not be the children on whom our future depends.

2012 Gender Gap Report Shows Lot's of Work to Be Done!

Many thanks to all of you who sent articles relating to the recent publication of the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report. It is a disheartening report for us in the US, as it shows the US falling from #17 to #22 out of 135 nations in gender equality.

As the Huff Post piece says: "The one thing these rankings make clear is that there is still a whole lot of work to be done when it comes to creating policies that will give men and women equal opportunities for living economically successful, healthy and politically engaged lives."

And, from the Preface of the report comes this powerful, succinct statement of the relationship between gender equality and economic success:

"The key for the future of any country and any institution is the capability to develop, retain and attract the best talent. Women make up one half of the world’s human capital. Empowering and educating girls and women and leveraging their talent and leadership fully in the global economy, politics and society are thus fundamental elements of succeeding and prospering in an ever more competitive world. In particular, with talent shortages projected to become more severe in much of the developed and developing world, maximizing access to female talent is a strategic imperative for business."

Here are a couple articles covering the release of the report and it's key findings related to the US:

U.S. Ranks 23rd For Women's Equality, Falling Behind Nicaragua, Cuba, and Burundi | ThinkProgress

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/global-gender-gap-report-2012-best-worst-countries-women_n_2006395.html

And here's a link to the report itself:  http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf

Economics Undergrads Demanding Alternative Theories

Thanks to Conversation Leader Marie Stock (currently in CELP Cohort T) for sending this great article about young people insisting on curriculum shifts to include alternatives to "orthodox" free-market teaching in their economics classes.

Economics students aim to tear up free-market syllabus

Undergraduates at Manchester University propose overhaul of orthodox teachings to embrace alternative theorieshttp://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/24/students-post-crash-economics

Few mainstream economists predicted the global financial crash of 2008 and academics have been accused of acting as cheerleaders for the often labyrinthine financial models behind the crisis. Now a growing band of university students are plotting a quiet revolution against orthodox free-market teaching, arguing that alternative ways of thinking have been pushed to the margins.

Economics undergraduates at the University of Manchester have formed the Post-Crash Economics Society, which they hope will be copied by universities across the country. The organisers criticise university courses for doing little to explain why economists failed to warn about the global financial crisis and for having too heavy a focus on training students for City jobs.

A growing number of top economists, such as Ha-Joon Chang, who teaches economics at Cambridge University, are backing the students.

Next month the society plans to publish a manifesto proposing sweeping reforms to the University of Manchester's curriculum, with the hope that other institutions will follow suit.

Joe Earle, a spokesman for the Post-Crash Economics Society and a final-year undergraduate, said academic departments were "ignoring the crisis" and that, by neglecting global developments and critics of the free market such as Keynes and Marx, the study of economics was "in danger of losing its broader relevance".

Chang, who is a reader in the political economy of development at Cambridge, said he agreed with the society's premise. The teaching of economics was increasingly confined to arcane mathematical models, he said. "Students are not even prepared for the commercial world. Few [students] know what is going on in China and how it influences the global economic situation. Even worse, I've met American students who have never heard of Keynes."

In June a network of young economics students, thinkers and writers set up Rethinking Economics, a campaign group to challenge what they say is the predominant narrative in the subject.
Earle said students across Britain were being taught neoclassical economics "as if it was the only theory".
He said: "It is given such a dominant position in our modules that many students aren't even aware that there are other distinct theories out there that question the assumptions, methodologies and conclusions of the economics we are taught."

Multiple-choice and maths questions dominate the first two years of economics degrees, which Earle said meant most students stayed away from modules that required reading and essay-writing, such as history of economic thought. "They think they just don't have the skills required for those sorts of modules and they don't want to jeopardise their degree," he said. "As a consequence, economics students never develop the faculties necessary to critically question, evaluate and compare economic theories, and enter the working world with a false belief about what economics is and a knowledge base limited to neoclassical theory."

In the decade before the 2008 crash, many economists dismissed warnings that property and stock markets were overvalued. They argued that markets were correctly pricing shares, property and exotic derivatives in line with economic models of behaviour. It was only when the US sub-prime mortgage market unravelled that banks realised a collective failure to spot the bubble had wrecked their finances.

In his 2010 documentary Inside Job, Charles Ferguson highlighted how US academics had produced hundreds of reports in support of the types of high-risk trading and debt-fuelled consumption that triggered the crash.

Some leading economists have criticised university economics teaching, among them Paul Krugman, a Nobel prize winner and professor at Princeton university who has attacked the complacency of economics education in the US.

In an article for the New York Times in 2009, Krugman wrote: "As I see it, the economics profession went astray because economists, as a group, mistook beauty, clad in impressive-looking mathematics, for truth."
Adam Posen, head of the Washington-based thinktank the Peterson Institute, said universities ignore empirical evidence that contradicts mainstream theories in favour of "overly technical nonsense".

City economists attacked Joseph Stiglitz, the former World Bank chief economist, and Olivier Blanchard, the current International Monetary Fund chief economist, when they criticised western governments for cutting investment in the wake of the crash.

A Manchester University spokeman said that, as at other university courses around the world, economics teaching at Manchester "focuses on mainstream approaches, reflecting the current state of the discipline". He added: "It is also important for students' career prospects that they have an effective grounding in the core elements of the subject.

"Many students at Manchester study economics in an interdisciplinary context alongside other social sciences, especially philosophy, politics and sociology. Such students gain knowledge of different kinds of approaches to examining social phenomena … many modules taught by the department centre on the use of quantitative techniques. These could just as easily be deployed in mainstream or non-mainstream contexts."

What is the happiest country on earth?

From our irrepressible Conversation Leader/Facilitator Allan Ament comes this article which powerfully re-affirms the core messages of Caring Economics.

(BTW... Congratulations to Allan for brecently finishing your memoir about caregiving! ...we all wish you well in the next phases of book design and publicity!)

Why is Denmark the happiest country on earth?  Gee, could it have something to do with:

1.  supports for parents
2.  healthcare as a civil right and source of social connection
3.  high levels of gender equality
4.  bicycles as a major mode of transport
5.  strong sense of connection and shared responsibility for social well-being

You guessed it!  Read on for more...

Denmark Is the Happiest Country on Earth! You'll Never Guess Why

AlterNet (U.S.)

Last month, Denmark was crowned the happiest country in the world. 'The top countries generally rank higher in all six of the key factors identified in the World Happiness Report,” wrote University of British Columbia economics professor John Helliwell, one of the report's contributing authors. 'Together, these six factors explain three quarters of differences in life evaluations across hundreds of countries and over the years.” The six factors for a happy nation split evenly between concerns on a government- and on a human-scale. The happiest countries have in common a large GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy at birth and a lack of corruption in leadership. But also essential were three things over which individual citizens have a bit more control over: A sense of social support, freedom to make life choices and a culture of generosity. "There is now a rising worldwide demand that policy be more closely aligned with what really matters to people as they themselves characterize their well-being," economist Jeffrey Sachs said in a statement at the time of the report's release. But why Denmark over any of the other wealthy, democratic countries with small, educated populations? And can the qualities that make this Nordic country the happiest around apply to other cultures across the globe? Here are a few things Danes do well that any of us can lobby for: Denmark supports parents While American women scrape by with an average maternal leave of 10.3 weeks, Danish families receive a total of 52 weeks of parental leave. Mothers are able to take 18 weeks and fathers receive their own dedicated 2 weeks at up to 100 percent salary. The rest of the paid time off is up to the family to use as they see fit. But the support doesn't stop at the end of this time. Danish children have access tofree or low-cost child care. And early childhood education is associated with health and well-being throughout life for its recipients -- as well as for mothers. What's more, this frees up young mothers to return to the work force if they'd like to. The result? In Denmark, 79 percent of mothers return to their previous level of employment, compared to 59 percent of American women. These resources mean that women contribute 34 to 38 percent of income in Danish households with children, compared to American women, who contribute 28 percent of income. Health care is a civil right -- and a source of social support Danish citizens expect and receive health care as a basic right. But what's more, they know how to effectively use their health systems. Danish people are in touch with their primary care physician an average of nearly seven times per year, according to a 2012 survey of family medicine in the country. And that means they have a single advocate who helps them navigate more complicated care. "This gatekeeping system essentially is designed to support the principle that treatment ought to take place at the lowest effective care level along with the idea of continuity of care provided by a family doctor," wrote the authors of the family medicine survey. By contrast, Americans seek medical care an average of fewer than four times per year and they don't just visit their general practitioner -- this figure includes emergency room visits, where many uninsured Americans must access doctors. This diversity of resources means that many Americans don't have continuity of care -- not a single medical professional advocating for them and putting together a comprehensive medical history. Gender equality is prioritized It isn't just parents who can expect balanced gender norms. Denmark regularly ranksamong the top 10 countries in a World Economic Forum's yearly report that measures gender equality. While no country in the world has yet achieved gender parity, Denmark and other Nordic countries are coming close. That is in no small part because of the strong presence of women in leadership positions. Reported the World Economic Forum: The Nordic countries were also early starters in providing women with the right to vote (Sweden in 1919, Norway in 1913, Iceland and Denmark in 1915, Finland in 1906). In Denmark, Sweden and Norway, political parties introduced voluntary gender quotas in the 1970s, resulting in high numbers of female political representatives over the years. In Denmark, in fact, this quota has since been abandoned as no further stimulus is required. Indeed, the country currently has its first female prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt (although she has been leader of the Social Democrat party since 2005). Its blockbuster hit television show, Borgen, features a female prime minister (pictured above) as well -- a complicated, strong female character that stands in contrast to America's enduring obsession with male anti-heroes. But government leadership merely exemplifies greater gender balance throughout the culture. As Katie J.M. Baker puts it in her exploration of gender politics in the Scandinavian country: "Unlike in America, where bestsellers goad already overworked and underpaid women to Lean In even further, the assumption in Denmark is that feminism is a collective goal, not an individual pursuit." Biking is the norm In Denmark's most populated and largest city, Copenhagen, bikes account for 50 percent of its residents' trips to school or work. Half. Half of commuting happens on a bike in Copenhagen and that doesn't just improve fitness levels and reduce carbon emissions, it also contributes to the wealth of the city, reported Forbes: Researchers found that for every kilometer traveled by bike instead of by car, taxpayers saved 7.8 cents (DKK 0.45) in avoided air pollution, accidents, congestion, noise and wear and tear on infrastructure. Cyclists in Copenhagen cover an estimated 1.2 million kilometers each day –- saving the city a little over $34 million each year. What's more, just 30 minutes of daily biking adds an average of one to two years to the life expectancy of Copenhagen's cyclists. Danish culture puts a positive spin on its harsh environment. Here's how Danish people turn lemons into spiced mulled wine: Ever heard of the concept of hygge? While some would define it as cultivated coziness, hygge is often considered the major weapon in combatting the dreary darkness that befalls the Nordic country over the winter. In a place where the sun shines fewer than seven hours during the height of the winter solstice -- a level of darkness that can (and does) stir depression and sad feelings -- the concept of a cozy scene, full of love and indulgence, can help to mitigate some of the season's worst psychological effects. After all, both strong social connections and many of the indulgent foods associated with hygge -- such as chocolate, coffee and wine -- are mood boosters. Danes feel a responsibility to one another Danes don't prioritize social security and safety simply so they can receive benefits; there's a real sense of collective responsibility and belonging. And this civic duty -- combined with the economic security and work-life balance to support it -- results in a high rate of volunteerism. According to a government exploration of Danish "responsibility": Denmark is a society where citizens participate and contribute to making society work. More than 40 percent of all Danes do voluntary work in cultural and sports associations, NGOs, social organisations, political organisations, etc. There is a wealth of associations: in 2006, there were 101,000 Danish organisations -- worth noting in a population of just 5.5 million. The economic value of this unpaid work is DKK 35.3 billion. Combined with the value growth from the non-profit sector, public subsidies and membership fees, the total economic impact of the sector represents 9.6 percent of the Danish GDP. But that sense of stewardship isn't just extra-governmental: Danes also take pride in their involvement with the democratic process. During the last election in September 2011, for example, 87.7 percent of the country voted. It's not surprising, given these statistics, that the University of Zurich and the Social Science Research Center Berlin have given Denmark the very highest rating for democracy among 30 established democracies.

A quote you'll love

Thanks to Conversation Leader Kia Scherr for sending in this wonderful quote:

"Perhaps I don't understand economics, but economics does not understand me, either."
- Lin Yutang

Kia is doing wonderful work for peace - check out her websites:  http://www.kiascherr.com/  and http://onelifealliance.org/

Rethinking Economic Assumptions with New Understandings of Human Nature

Many thanks to Conversation Leader Adam Chefitz for passing along this fascinating brand new article from Scientific American called "Human Nature and the Moral Economy"

Author Eric Michael Johnson is an Anthropologist and Great Ape Ecologist who brings together recent anthropological and primate research to show how far our economics has become from our shared morality based on our human capacities for fairness and cooperation, and to argue for a revisioining of economics based on a more accurate set of assumptions about human nature.

Here's a teaser from Johnson's conclusion:  

"Since we now know that many of the assumptions about human nature that classical economics was based upon were either wrong or woefully incomplete, it is high time that other ideas be accepted around the table. With an economic system teetering on the edge of unprecedented inequality it would be immoral not to consider other options."

Amen.

The article has some other wonderful evidence and examples in it, too - so check it out!

- Sara

Unpaid Caregivers Make Huge Economic Contribution, But We Can't Count on It In the Future

A new AARP report called “The Aging of the Baby Boom and the Growing Care Gap,”offers some striking data about the impending shortage of caregivers for elders in the U.S. - and calls attention to the staggeringly large economic contributions made by unpaid caregivers.

This article, "Huge shortage of caregivers looms for baby boomers, report says" summarizes some of the key findings of the AARP report.  Here are a few data points from the report that will particularly interest you as a Caring Economy Conversation Leader:

• There are 42.1 million adults in the United States caring for friends or family members. 
• Nearly two-thirds of those caregivers are women, and more than 80 percent of the people they care for are over 50
• the “average” family caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who works outside the home and spends about 20 hours a week caring for her mother without pay.

And, wrap your head around this statistic:  The unpaid care work contributed by Baby Boomers caring for friends and family is estimated to have been worth the equivalent of $450 billion in 2009, more than the cost of Medicaid and approaching the cost of Medicare.

Yowsa!

The central point of the article is that the number of available caregivers for elders is shrinking rapidly (due to the large number of baby boomers, the fact that boomers had relatively fewer children than earlier generations, and increased longevity), so we will not be able to count on this kind of massive economic contribution by unpaid caregivers going forward.  

This means we must be working now to develop policies that will both support those who do provide unpaid care and develop other ways to ensure that our elders are cared for.  Surely an important cause for anyone advocating for a Caring Economy!

Building Social Wealth by Building Better Hometowns

We talk a lot in our Caring Economy work about the relationship between a thriving "Household Sector" and fiscal prosperity...

Thanks to Conversation Leader Adam Chefitz from Miami, Florida for sharing this news item about a local contest that reminds us that a thriving "Community Sector" is also critical element of social wealth - and also a key element of economic prosperity.

This Miami contest calling for ideas for making better public spaces "...is based on a growing number of studies that show a close relationship between fiscal prosperity and cities whose residents feel a warm affinity for their hometowns. That’s in part because cities that people are proud to live in also tend to attract and retain the skilled, talented workers who drive economic growth."

Turns out that the key elements in creating better public spaces include keeping things beautiful, walkable, playable, encouraging relationship and connection, and staying human scale... Go figure.  Caring equates to prosperity at every level!

Adam has more than a passing interest in this contest - he's entering it!:  'I'm working with Catalyst Miami to propose a non-profit cafe that serves as a hub for local activists and artists modeled after "busboys and poets" cafe in DC." 

Way to take action Adam!

Sweden's economy through a different lens

Caring Social Programs + Fiscally Conservative Policy + Free Market Economy = Economic Success (?)

So says C. Fred Bergsten, senior fellow and director emeritus at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

This interesting Washington Post opinion piece "The Swedish Model for Economic Recovery" passed along by Kim Otis, Campaign Director, might prove quite useful to those of you who are talking with more conservative folks about evidence of economically successful caring societies.

Essentially, this discussion of Sweden's economic recovery stresses that it is the combination of social welfare programs and fiscally conservative policies that have enabled Sweden's economy to thrive.

It is so nice to hear from a economically grounded source the argument that caring social programs and well-administered free-market economies are not an either/or proposition, but rather can be a both/and proposition - leading to great success and prosperity!

See what you think...

Raising Minimum Wage Helps Women

Thanks to Caring Economy Campaign Director Kim Otis for sending on this great info graphic from the Economic Policy Institute that busts established myths about who works at minimum wage jobs.

Raising the minimum wage is a caring economics policy!  It supports the women who support their families.

See the full news story.

New Documentary Makes Economic Case for Early Care

Many thanks to Conversation Leader Cherri Pruitt for sharing this information about an exciting forthcoming documentary series "The Raising of America."

You'll see that the whole first episode "Are We Crazy About our Kids?" - viewable online - makes the economic case for investments in early childhood education - offering some wonderful fresh examples that you will find really useful as you share the keys to a Caring Economy with others.

http://www.newsreel.org/video/ARE-WE-CRAZY-ABOUT-OUR-KIDS

One specific example from the video:   Quebec's child poverty rates went from the worst to the best in Canada after they introduced universal early care and preschool (from birth to age five) available to all parents at a cost of $7 a day, along with paid parental leave and other family supports....

Doesn't get clearer than that for those seeking evidence of economic return on caring policies, does it?

Thanks Cherri!

Tooting CELP's Horn on the Radio!

Leadership Program Featured on August 28 Cathy Bennett Radio Show!   

Tune into "Caring Economy Leadership Program, Small but Far Reaching" featuring a lively interview with CELP Program Director Sara Saltee and Facilitator and co-developer Dr. Susan Carter - learn about the history of the program, the big ideas we teach, and the exciting results we've achieved!

Cathy was so excited by what she heard in this interview that she has now enrolled in CELP to become a certified conversation leader!  She'll be participating in our October Weekend Intensive.  

Welcome Cathy!   and thank you so much for the opportunity to talk about this work.

- Sara

CPS Seeks Development Assistant

The Center for Partnership Studies (CPS), founded by Dr. Riane Eisler, is seeking a development volunteer to provide fundraising support to the leadership of CPS.

Read the announcement.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for a committed individual to join us as our new development volunteer, with the future potential for this to become a contract position.

S/he will have the opportunity to work with closely with leaders in the women’s movement, public policy, philanthropy, human rights and nonviolence, and others in coordination with an outstanding CPS team of volunteers, staff, and consultants.

The location is flexible – Washington, DC or California, Bay Area is ideal but not required.

Diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

Please send a cover letter and resume to: Kimberly Otis, Director of the Caring Economy Campaign.

Sangita and the Elephant

Hi Everyone,

Our wonderful Conversation Leader, Sangita Iyer of Cohort W2 recently published this piece on Rescuing an Elephant in the Wilds of India in the Huffington Post.

This is a really entertaining and account of being witness to a tremendous act of inter-species caring.  As someone with a life-long deep connection to elephants, I thank you for sharing this article, Sangita!

What an adventure!

Israel Replacing GDP with New Indicators of Economic Health

Hi Everyone,

According to this article passed on by Molly Freeman, the Israeli government has committed to 

formulating "a new series of indicators to gauge the quality of life in Israel and the country’s economic situation, instead of relying solely on gross domestic product ‏(GDP‏) figures."

Huzzah! 

(You'll see that you need to register for the site to see the full text of the article - but here are some excerpts for you...)

"...Among the things to be measured are civil and government involvement, employment and the balance between work and leisure, infrastructure and housing, education, personal security, health, personal and societal welfare, and the environmental situation."

“One of the fundamental problems in using GDP as the basis for measuring human progress is the fact that it includes many factors that have a negative influence on society and the environment,” the report stated. “For example, investment in prisons, policing and security, or investment in industrial production that pollutes, contribute to the growth in GDP. There is also importance to measuring investments whose goals are to advance and preserve the quality of life and in measuring activities to strengthen social cohesion,” the report added.  GDP also does not relate to questions of the distribution of wealth and income between individuals, and does not include many activities of households and their contribution to general welfare, said the report.

And, the article goes on:  "Israel is following many other countries who are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, who, in recent years, have adopted a list of measures that complement GDP.  Israel is already involved in the process of adopting new social indexes, as it was the country chosen by the OECD to undertake pioneering research into evaluating the quality of life, based on 11 different indexes determined by the OECD."

Thanks for sharing this amazing news!  We'll have to take a closer look at how many of the indexes are measuring the work of care in households and communities.

Finland's Secrets to Success (Again)

Thanks to Kim Otis, CEC Director, for sharing this really nice in-depth look at the Finnish model of a caring eocnomy from The Atlantic magazine:

The Secret to Finland's Success With Schools, Moms, Kids—and Everything

In addition to describing the huge benefits of the Finnish system for human well-being...which never fails to make me want to pack my bags... this article also takes a good critical look at the differences between the Finnish and American contexts - and offers an assessment of how we might still borrow from the Finns despite the huge structural and cultural differences between our countries.

And, here's an interesting graph from the article, showing the international differences in taxes as a share of GDP:

And, while we're on the subject - here's one more Finland article, by a Finnish Mom - which ends with this powerful line:

"It’s not always a question of resources, but how a country chooses to use them." 

Amazing how it always comes back to values and choices, doesn't it?

- Sara

Caring Activism: Change Strategies that Model Culture Shift

Hi Conversation Leaders!

Thanks to Maura Conlon-McIvor, CELP alum and now CELP faculty who couldn't help noticing that the title of this article in YES! Magazine sounded oddly familiar.

A Caring Economy Requires Building Bridges—Not Burning Them

The article is a lovely profile of the social activism strategies being employed by Ai-jen Poo, the founder and director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a membership organization of housekeepers, nannies, and home health assistants, most of whom are undocumented immigrant women.

I think many of you will be interested in this description of how tactics rooted in love, caring, and connection - rather than opposition - are the right and most effective strategies for creating change for a caring economy.

Thanks Maura!

Enjoy!

What if social value determined economic value?

Elizabeth Nicolosi, Cohort S

Hi All,

Elizabeth Nicolosi of Cohort S just shared this awesome article which shows what happens when economic value is quantified using social value as the key variable.

The results may not surprise you Caring Economy Conversation Leaders - but it is fascinating to see the analysis.

Hospital cleaners more valuable than bankers: Research quantifies social value created by workers

Enjoy!

The Balancing Act

Hi All,

Thanks to Molly Freeman for alerting us to this series of New York Times articles called The Balancing Act, which looks at the ways working mothers from varied backgrounds are balancing careers and family responsibilities.

Here's the first installment, called "Coveting Not a Corner Office but Time at Home"

And here's a great commentary on that piece called Men Want Work-Family Balance, and Policy Should Help Them Achieve It
which goes further to explore the needs of men and fathers as part of this picture of policies needed to improve the lives of working families:

And here's the second article in the NYT series called "Working Parents, Wanting Fewer Hours"

These articles are wonderful sources of real-people stories showing how the dilemmas and struggles caused by a lack of caring policies at work and as a nation.

Good reading!

Human Capital, Social Capital, Natural Capital

Hi Everyone,

As you know, in the Path to Real Prosperity presentation, there is discussion of the notion of "human capital" - the term economists use to describe the capacity that individuals have to learn, create, collaborate and contribute as workers and as citizens.  And of course, a big part of the Caring Economy message is that supporting children and the people who care for them is necessary for economic success because it is through positive early childhood experiences that high quality human capital is created.

However, the broader "Real Wealth" model and the "New Economic Map" also show the community volunteer sector and the natural sector as being important missing pieces of a sustainable economy.

Recently, Adam Chefitz (Cohort YLP) has been asking for resources that might help to flesh out the connections between vibrant community and natural sectors and economic success. Thanks for the great questions, Adam!

Here are some links that can help you expand your discussion of the economic value of social and natural capital.

On Social Capital:

Here’s a link that shows how social capital is connected to economic development:

And this one shows how social capital is framed in a public health context 

If you want to read in more depth on the concept of Social Capital and applications, this is a good white paper.

On Natural Capital:

A good starting point is this link to the Natural Capital Project - an organization working to do for natural capital what the caring economy campaign is doing for human capital.

Hope you find these resources helpful!

Best wishes,
Sara

Babies in Boxes - In a Good Way!

Hi Everyone,

My sister Shannon shared with me this wonderful example of a specific practice through which Finland demonstrates its commitment to the development of all the human beings in the country...

"For 75 years, Finland's expectant mothers have been given a box by the state. It's like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve one of the world's lowest infant mortality rates. "  

Read the full article:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22751415

Compare that lovely nationwide practice of care to the perhaps equally long-standing American practice of bashing and blaming working mothers...

case in point, the recent remarks my OTHER sister Erin sent me...

At a live Washington Post event earlier this week, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) said that America is so "mediocre" in educational outcomes because "mom is in the workplace."

The subsequent MomsRising action alert puts it beautifully:

"The problem in our nation isn't that moms are working, it's that our nation isn't working for moms. Statements like this one from Governor Bryant are about passing the buck.  The fact is that we have a modern society, with 3/4 of moms in the labor force, but we're far behind the rest of the world when it comes to systems that allow both contemporary families and businesses to thrive."

Here's a link to the MomsRising petition to demand an apology from Governor Bryant:
http://action.momsrising.org/sign/GovBryant1/?akid=4345.83880.9iU_Ut&rd=1&t=2

Let's keep focusing on a world where we help moms and dads and kids thrive...and enrich our economy to boot!

Keep the faith!

- Sara

Give, Receive, and Dance: An uplifting commencement address tailor-made for Caring Economy Conversation Leaders

Hey all,

Here's an uplifting and wonderful graduation speech which emphasizes the value of generosity and kindness in an eloquent and accessible way.

It was passed along by Allan Ament, who writes:

"Here is a link to a wonderful commencement address all about compassion, sharing and taking care of each other.  And it starts by quoting Taylor Swift == who'da  thunk."

Thanks Allan!

The full text of the address is below, or click here to view it online.  

Miserable & Magical: A Graduation Speech for Paradoxical Times

--by Nipun Mehta, May 27, 2013

[When the student body of an elite private school in Silicon Valley was given the chance to vote on who would give their graduation address this year, they chose a man named Nipun Mehta. An unexpected choice for these teenagers, who belong to what Time magazine called the "Me Me Me Generation". Nipun's journey is the antithesis of self-serving. More than a decade ago, he walked away from a lucrative career in high-tech, to explore the connection between inner change and external impact. ServiceSpace, the nonprofit he founded, has now drawn over 450,000 members across the globe. In this electrifying address that garnered a standing ovation, he calls out the paradoxical crisis of disconnection in our hyper-connected world -- and offers up three powerful keys that hold the antidote.]

Thank you Jennifer Gargano, Chris Nikoloff and the entire faculty at Harker.  To you, the class of 2013, congratulations!  I’m delighted to be with you on your special day, and it is a particular honor since I know you chose your speaker.

So, graduation day is here and this once-in-a-lifetime milestone moment has arrived.  In the words of Taylor Swift, I can tell how you’re feeling: “happy, free, confused, and lonely, miserable and magical at the same time.”  Who would’ve thought we’d be quoting words of wisdom from Taylor Swift at your commencement. :)

Today, I’m here with some good news and bad news.  I’ll give you the good first.

You might be surprised to hear this, but you are about to step out into a world that’s in good shape -- in fact the best shape that that it’s ever been in. The average person has never been better fed than today.  Infant mortality has never been lower; on average we’re leading longer, healthier lives. Child labor, illiteracy and unsafe water have ceased to be global norms. Democracy is in, as slavery is disappearing.  People don’t have to work as hard to just survive. A bicycle in 1895 used to cost 260 working hours, today we’ve gotten that number down to 7.2.

So, things are progressing.  But I’m afraid that’s not the full story.   You’ll want to brace yourselves, because this is the bad news part.

This week, Time Magazine’s cover story labeled you guys as the “Me, Me, Me” generation; the week before, NY Times reported that the suicide rate for Gen X went up by 30% in the last decade, and 50% for the boomer generation.  We’ve just learned that atmospheric carbon levels surpassed 400 PPM for the first time in human history.  Our honeybee colonies are collapsing, thereby threatening the future of our food supply.  And all this is just the tip of the iceberg.

What we’re handing over to you is a world full of inspiring realities coupled with incredibly daunting ones. In other words: miserable and magical isn't just a pop-song lyric -- it's the paradox that you are inheriting from us.

So, what do you do with that? I’m going to be honest -- I don’t really know. :) I do know this, though:  

At the core of all of today's most pressing challenges is one fundamental issue: we have become profoundly disconnected.

Rather ironic, considering that we live in an era where Facebook has spawned 150 billion “connections”, as we collectively shell out 4.5 billion likes on status updates, every single day. Yet, a growing body of science is showing what we already feel deep in our gut: we’re more isolated than ever before.  The average American adult reports having just one real friend that they can count on.  Just one.  And for the first time in 30 years, mental health disabilities such as ADHD outrank physical ones among American children.  

Somehow we’ve allowed our relationship to gadgets and things to overtake our real-world ties.

We’ve forgotten how to rescue each other.  

Yet, deep inside we all still have that capacity.   We know we have it because we saw it at Sandy Hook, in the brave teachers who gave up their lives to save their students. We saw it during the Boston Marathon when runners completed the race and kept running to the nearest blood bank.  We saw it just this week in Oklahoma when a waiter at a fast food chain decided to donate all his tips to the tornado relief efforts and triggered a chain of generosity.

So we know that we can tap into our inner goodness when crisis strikes. But can we do it on a run-of-the-mill Monday?

That’s the question in front of you.  Will  you, class of 2013 step up to rebuild a culture of trust, empathy and compassion?  Our crisis of disconnection needs a renaissance of authentic friendship.  We need you to upgrade us from Me-Me-Me to We-We-We.

Reflecting on my own journey, there have been three keys that helped me return to a place of connection.  I’d like to share those with you today, in the hope that perhaps it might support your journey.

The First Key Is To Give 

In the movie Wall Street -- which originally came out well before you guys were born -- there’s a character named Gordon Gekko whose credo in life reads: Greed is good.  When I was about your age, Silicon Valley was in the seductive grip of the dot-com boom. It was a time when it was easy to believe that Greed was Good. But a small group of us had a different hypothesis:

*Maybe* greed is good, but Generosity is better.

We tested that hypothesis. When I started ServiceSpace, our first project was to build websites for nonprofits at no charge. We ended up building and gifting away thousands of sites, but that wasn’t our main goal. Our real purpose was to practice generosity.

In the early days, the media was pretty sure we had a hidden agenda. "We're doing this just to practice giving with no strings attached," we said. The few who actually believed us didn’t think we could sustain it. The thing is -- we did. A decade later, when our work started attracting millions of viewers, entrepreneurs told us that we'd be crazy to not slap on ads or try to monetize our services.  The thing is -- we didn't.  We probably *were* a bit crazy. And when we started Karma Kitchen, people really thought "No way!"  It was a restaurant where your check always read zero, with this note: "Your meal is paid for by someone before you, and now it’s your chance to pay it forward."  The thing is -- 25 thousand meals later, the chain continues in several cities around the globe.  

People consistently underestimate generosity, but human beings are simply wired to give.

In one study at Harvard, scientists surprised a couple hundred volunteers with an unexpected monetary reward and gave them the choice of keeping it or giving it away. The only catch was that they had to  make the decision spontaneously.  Lo and behold, the majority chose --- to give away the money! Greed, it turns out, is a calculated after thought.  Our natural instinct is, and always has been -- to give.

When you take Econ 101 in college, you will learn that all of economics is rooted in the assumption that people aim to maximize self-interest.  I hope you don’t just take that for granted.  I hope you challenge it.  Consider the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa who have rocked the history of our planet with the exact opposite assumption, with the belief in the goodness of our human nature.

Or consider Ruby Bridges.

Six-year-old Ruby was the first African American girl to go to an all-white school on Nov 14, 1960.  All the teachers refused to teach her, except for one Mrs. Henry.  Ruby received constant death threats and on the way to class every day, people would line up to shout and throw things.  Mrs. Henry instructed Ruby to not speak to anyone, as she crossed the jeering crowds every day.  But one day, she saw Ruby saying something, so she said, “Ruby, I told you not to speak to anyone.”  “No, Mrs. Henry, I didn’t say anything to them.”  “Ruby, I saw you talking.  I saw your lips moving.”  “Oh, I was just praying.  I was praying for them,” Ruby responded.  Then she recited her  prayer, and I quote “Please, God, try to forgive these people.  Because even if they say those bad things, they don’t know what they’re doing.”

A six year old!  Wishing well for those who were wishing her harm. How generous is that? And what does it say about the power of the human heart?

Our capacity to love is a currency that never runs out.  

May each of you tap into that generous ocean and discover every day, what it means to give.

The Second Key Is To Receive

When we give, we think we are helping others.  That's true, but we are also helping ourselves.  With any act of unconditional service, no matter how small, our bio-chemistry changes, our mind quiets, and we feel a sense of gratefulness.  This inner transformation fundamentally shifts the direction of our lives.

A couple summers ago, we had two 14-year-olds, Neil and Dillan, interning at ServiceSpace.  One of their projects was a 30 day kindness challenge -- they had to come up with and do a different act of kindness every day for a month. In the beginning they had to plan "kindness activities", but slowly they learned how to spontaneously turn their daily life into a canvas for giving.  Doing the dishes for mom without her asking, stopping to help a stranger with a flat tire, standing up for a bullied kid, gifting all their winnings at the arcade to a child.

Very quickly, kindness shifted from being an activity -- to a way of life.  

It wasn't just about who they were helping, it was about who they themselves were becoming through the process. Last weekend, I happened to see Neil after a while, the day after Senior Prom and he had a story to share, "Last night I noticed that the dance floor was too small and a few of the special needs students just couldn't get on.  So I grabbed a bunch of my friends, and we started dancing in a little circle around them.  Everyone had a great time."  Then, he paused for a reflective moment, and asked me, "But I felt so good about doing that.  Do you think I was being selfish?"

What a profound question.  What Neil experienced was the fact that when we give, we receive many times over.

Or as the Dalai Lama once put it, "Be Selfish, Be Generous.”  It is in giving that we receive.

When we think of generosity, we typically think of it as a zero sum game.  If I give you a dollar, that’s one less dollar for me. The inner world, though, operates with an entirely different set of rules.  The boundaries aren’t so easy to decipher.  Your state of being inherently affects my state of being. This isn’t feel-good talk. It’s actual science. Research shows that, in close proximity, when people feel connected, their individual heart-beats actually start to synchronize -- even with zero physical contact.  In neuroscience, the discovery of mirror neurons has shown us that we literally do feel each other’s pain -- and joy.  

And joy is *definitely* not a zero-sum game.  The law of abundance says that if I give you a smile, that's not one less smile for me.  

The more I smile, the more I *do* smile.  The more I love, the more love I have to give. So, when you give externally, you receive internally.  How do the two compare?  That's a question only you can answer for yourself, and that answer will keep changing as your awareness deepens.

Yet this much is clear: if you only focus on the externals, you’ll live your life in the deadening pursuit of power and products. But if you stay in touch with your inner truth, you will come alive with joy, purpose, and gratitude. You will tap into the law of abundance.

May you discover that to be truly selfish, you must be generous.  In giving, may you fully experience what it means to receive.

The Third Key Is To Dance

Our biggest problem with giving and receiving is that we try and track it.  And when we do that, we lose the beat. 

The best dancers are never singularly focused on the mechanics of their movements.  They know how to let go, tune into the rhythm and synchronize with their partners.

It’s like that with giving too.  It's a futile exercise to track who is getting what.  We just have to dance.

Take one of my friends for example, a very successful entrepreneur. 

Along his journey, he realized that it’s not just enough, as the cliché goes, to find your gifts.  Gifts are actually meant to be *given*.

In his daily life, he started cultivating some beautiful practices of generosity.  For instance, every time he walked into a fancy restaurant, he told the waiter to find a couple that is most madly in love.  "Put their tab on my bill, and tell them a stranger paid for their meal, with the hope that they pay it forward somewhere somehow," he would say.  Being a fan of Batman, he took his anonymity seriously: "If anyone finds out it was me, the deal is off."

Many restaurants, and waiters, knew him for this.  And as a food connoisseur, some of his favorite places were also quite pricey -- upwards of a couple hundred bucks per person.

On one such day, he walks into a nice restaurant and does his usual drill.  The person serving him obliges.  However, this time, the waiter comes back with a counter request.  "Sir, I know you like to be anonymous, but when I told that couple about the tab being covered, the woman just started sobbing.  In fact, it’s been ten minutes and she's still tearing up.  I think it would make her feel better if you were to just introduce yourself, just this once."

Seeing this, he agree to break his own cardinal rule and walks over to introduce himself. "M'aam, I was only trying to make your day. If it has brought up something, I'm so sorry."  The woman excitedly says, "Oh no, not at all.  You’ve just made my year, maybe my life.  My husband and I, well, we work at a small nonprofit with physically challenged kids, and we have been saving up all year to have this meal here.  It is our one year marriage anniversary today.”  After a pause, she continues, “We always serve others in small ways, but to receive a kind act like this on our special day, well, it’s just an overwhelming testimonial that what goes around comes around.  It renews our faith in humanity.  Thank you.  Thank you *SO* much." 

All of them were in tears.  They kept in touch, he joined their board and they are friends to this day.

Now, in that scenario, who was the giver?  Who was the receiver?  And more importantly, does it even matter? Dancing, tells us to stop keeping track.  

Sometimes you're giving and sometimes you're receiving, but it doesn't really matter because the real reward of that give and take doesn’t lie in the value of what’s being exchanged.  The real reward lies in what flows between us – our connection.

Conclusion

So, my dear friends, there you have it.  The bad news is that we're in the middle of a crisis of disconnection, and the good news is that each and every one of you has the capacity to repair the web -- to give, to receive and to dance.

Sometime last year, I spontaneously treated a homeless woman to something she really wanted -- ice-cream.  We walked into a nearby 7-11, she got her ice-cream and I paid for it.  Along the way, though, we had a great 3-minute chat about generosity and as we’re leaving the store, she said something remarkable: "I'd like to buy you something.  Can I buy you something?" She empties her pockets and holds up a nickel. The cashier looks on, as we all  share a beautiful,  awkward, empathy-filled moment of silence.  Then, I heard my voice responding, “That’s so kind of you. I would be delighted to receive your offering.  What if we pay-it-forward by tipping this kind cashier who has just helped us?”  Her face breaks into a huge smile. “Good idea,” she says while dropping the nickel into the tip-jar.

No matter what you have, or don’t have, we can all give.  The good news is that generosity is not a luxury sport.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best, when he said, "Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve."  He didn't say, "You have to be smart to serve." Or "You have to be famous to serve." Or "You have to be rich to serve." No, he said, "*Everybody* can be great, because *everybody* can serve.  You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don't need to know the second law of thermodynamics to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

Harker Class of 2013, may you ALL find greatness in service to life.  May you all give, receive -- and never, *ever* stop dancing. 

This is a transcript of a commencement address Nipun Mehta delivered at The Harker School, May 2013. He is the founder of ServiceSpace.org, a nonprofit that works at the intersection of gift-economy, technology and volunteerism. Nipun's speech last year at University of Pennsylvania's commencement shares more about his personal journey.

Big News from Venezuela: Pensions for Mothers

Hi Everyone,

Here's a piece of great news, passed to me by Conversation Leader Eve Purdew:

Venezuela's new Labour Law for Workers (Lottt) came into effect this week, guaranteeing shorter working hours, longer maternity leave and pensions for all Venezuelans. 

Along with establishing new working hours, the Lottt prohibits unfair dismissal, outsourcing, guarantees the right to work for both women and people with disabilities and increases maternity leave.

...Venezuela now has the world's third longest maternity leave. Mothers are entitled to six weeks pre-natal leave, and twenty post-natal. Fathers are also entitled to two weeks paternal leave. Under the law, the same conditions apply to parents who adopt a child under three years of age.

All workers are also now entitled to retirement pensions, including full time mothers and the self employed. 

Read more here:  http://rabble.ca/columnists/2013/05/venezuelas-new-labour-law-best-mothers-day-gift
And Here:  http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/9202

Thanks for passing along the good news, Eve!

- Sara

Senator Sanders Looks to Denmark for Economy Wisdom (sound familiar?)

Allan Ament (Conversation Leader and Program Facilitator) writes:

Here's an article from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I copied from Today's Schwartz Report. He compares what is happening in Denmark with the US, and comes up the same place Riane does. I thought it might be of interest to the broader CELP audience...

Thanks Allan - Indeed, this looks very useful for us all! - Sara

America Needs Denmark's "Solidarity System"

By Senator Bernie Sanders, Reader Supported News
18 May 13

Today in the United States, unemployment is too high, wages and income are too low, people are struggling to find affordable health care and the wealth and income gap is growing wider. Millions of working families are finding it hard to make ends meet and maintain a dignified standard of living.

In Denmark, social policy in areas like health care, child care, education and protecting the unemployed are part of a "solidarity system" that provides strong opportunity and security for all citizens. Danes pay high taxes, but in return enjoy a quality of life that many Americans would envy.

Denmark is a small, homogenous nation of about 5.5 million people. The United States is a melting pot of more than 315 million people. No question about it, Denmark and the United States are very different countries. But are there lessons we can learn from the social model in Denmark? If you're interested in the answer, please attend one of a series of town meetings that I am holding throughout Vermont this weekend with Danish Ambassador Peter Taksoe-Jensen. On Saturday, the ambassador will join me for town meetings at 1 p.m. at Burlington City Hall and at 7 p.m. at the Brattleboro Museum in Brattleboro. On Sunday, join us at 10:30 a.m. at Montpelier High School in Montpelier. Admission is free, questions and comments are encouraged.

Health care in Denmark is universal, free of charge and high quality. Everybody is covered as a right of citizenship. The Danish health care system is popular with patient satisfaction much higher than in the United States. In Denmark, every citizen can choose a doctor in their area. Prescription drugs are inexpensive. They're free for those under 18 years of age. Interestingly, despite their universal coverage, the Danish health care system is far more cost-effective than ours. They spend about 11 percent of their GDP on health care. We spend almost 18 percent.

When it comes to raising families, Danes understand that the first few years of a person's life are the most important in terms of intellectual and emotional development. In order to give strong support to expecting parents, mothers get four weeks of paid leave before giving birth. They get another 14 weeks afterward. Expecting fathers get two paid weeks off, and both parents have the right to 32 more weeks of leave during the first nine years of a child's life. The state covers three-quarters of the cost of child care, more for low-income workers.

At a time when college education in the United States is becoming increasingly unaffordable and the average Vermont college graduate leaves school more than $28,000 in debt, virtually all higher education in Denmark is free. That includes not just college but graduate schools as well, including medical school.

In a volatile global economy, the Danish government recognizes that it must invest heavily in training programs so workers can learn new skills to meet changing workforce demands. It also understands that when people lose their jobs they must have adequate income while they search for new jobs. If a worker loses his or her job in Denmark, unemployment insurance covers up to 90 percent of earnings for as long as two years. Here benefits can be cut off after as few as 26 weeks.

It is no secret that in our country many people are living under great stress. They work long hours with relatively little time off. In fact, a growing number of businesses provide no vacation and can force workers to work long and irregular shifts. In Denmark, adequate leisure and family time is considered an important part of having a good life. Every worker in Denmark is entitled to five weeks of paid vacation plus 11 paid holidays.

Recently the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that the Danish people rank among the happiest in the world among some 40 countries that were studied. America did not crack the top 10.

Are there lessons that we can learn from the social model in Denmark? You be the judge. Please join us on Saturday in Burlington or Brattleboro, or Sunday morning in Montpelier.