Crisis and a new economy

The present crisis shows that our economic model needs a radical re-design, according to Tim Jenkins of the New Economics Foundation, guest speaker at the latest ‘Dialogues in Politics and Culture’ event organised by the Leeds Taking Soundings group.

A new economy would require a complete overhaul of the financial sector, would tackle growing social and economic inequalities, and would deal with climate change and the ‘energy crunch’ caused by dwindling oil resources, says Jenkins, director of the Great Transitions Initiatives at the NEF. He will outline the features of the new economy and discuss the limited understanding of the need for economic re-design in mainstream UK political discourse.

Titled ‘The Crisis as an Opportunity for a New Economy’, the meeting on Wednesday 29 February is one of two recently announced by the Leeds group. On 21 March, Ursula Huws will speak on ‘The New Gold Rush: Multinationals and the commodification of the public sector’.

Huws, Professor of Labour and Globalisation at the University of Hertfordshire, argues that education, health and other public services are being turned into saleable commodities on the global market and lucrative sources of profit for the multinationals.

‘Today we are witnessing the growth of a new “public services industry,” she says. ‘The impact on public sector workers and on all people who use these services will be enormous. Unless challenged, it will mean the re-appropriation of the historical gains in welfare made in the 20th century.’

‘The crisis as an opportunity for a new economy’ is at 6pm on Wednesday 29 February at Broadcasting Place, Room BP102, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9EN.

No need to book, but you can contact Barry Winter on b.winter@leedsmet.ac.uk for more information.

‘The New Gold Rush: Multinationals and the Commodification of the Public Sector’ is at 6pm on Wednesday 21 March at the same venue.

Contact m.caygill@leedsmet.ac.uk for more details.