Programa del congreso

Amidst growing concerns that Gross Domestic Product is deeply flawed as a measure of progress, the need for forward-looking alternative frameworks and strategies has never been more urgent. Several overlapping global crises buttress the urgent call for alternatives, including the escalating climate emergency, widening socio-economic inequalities, volatile and extractive economic systems that benefit a handful of elites, and imbalanced North-South geopolitical relations, institutions and continuing forms of colonialism and patriarchy that dominate development discourse, policies and practice. This panel overviews the problematic socio-economic, political-ecological and cultural-spiritual issues inherent, or lacking, in the economic system that currently dominates, and its historic trajectory and legacy. It examines existing alternative frameworks, moral concepts and strategies from around the world from a distinctly feminist, decolonial and wellbeing lens.

Beyond-GDP alternatives offer an important roadmap for reducing inter-country, intra-country and North-South inequalities, as well as achieving gender, social and climate justice and environmental sustainability in a deeply divided and unequal world. The time to move beyond rhetoric and make real strides towards economic justice, social equality, environmental sustainability, cultural dignity and respect of indigenous knowledge is not only urgent, but imperative for the future of the human race and all sentient beings we share our planet with. As the climate emergency accelerates, socio-economic inequalities widen, and colonial continuities remain firmly entrenched, the question of power imbalance, economic imperialism and exploitative and extractive resource capture in the hands of a few dominant nations, trans-national actors, corporations, and multilateral institutions remain central.

Based on critical empirical research advanced by Oxfam, the panel facilitates debate, deliberation and discussion of strategic policy pathways and consensus-building amidst a pluriverse of alternatives to realize a vision of a more equitable and sustainable world. The panel offers a critique of GDP, compares and contrasts various wellbeing and degrowth alternatives in terms of their ability to truly challenge reductionist, resource-extractive, colonial and materialistic GDP-centric economic systems, and calls out ‘false’ alternatives. The pluriverse of alternatives not only offer hope for a better world, but provide blueprints for dismantling colonialist and patriarchal relations of power. Within this pluriverse, the panel explores the possibility of a set of principles for truly feminist and decolonial alternatives, forging pathways towards achieving them, and scaling up promising alternatives. It centers the role of feminist, decolonial and wellbeing movements in advancing the agenda of alternatives that can challenge the current world order, and ensure human dignity, equality and justice.