For an economy based on values – Co-evaluating the potential of growth with the communities

KLAMER AND PETROVA, IN Comunita che innovano, 2018

The times are changing. The new economy that many people see emerging, calls for a different way of thinking. We follow this movement and will argue that after years of focusing on the quantities of (economic) life, the time has arrived that we need to consider the qualities of life. Organizations, and governmental organizations in particular need to reconsider the way they evaluate results and achievements. In the new economy they need to know what they contribute to various social and cultural qualities. We will present a method for doing so.

The social qualities of societies, neighborhoods and organisations have always been relevant. Recently, the awareness of their relevance is growing. Societies all around the world, and certainly in the western part, are in need of more cohesion, more solidarity, more trust, and more identity.

An expression of this change is found in new approaches in local welfare policies. Pasi, for example, notices “the entry into the welfare arena of subjects with a strong local roots and which can more easily develop partnerships with local governments” (Pasi, 2015, p. 4). These emerging innovative ways of governance are promoting public-private partnerships in which non-profit and non-governmental organizations, the profit sector and government institutions closely collaborate and co-create programmes and instruments to accumulate economic, human and social capitals in order to overcome widespread poverty and injustice.

Klamer and Petrova (2018). For an economy based on values – Co-evaluating the potential of growth with the communities (with Klamer), in Ciampolini (ed), Comunita che innovano: Prospettive ed esperienze per territory inclusive, Franco Angeli, Poverty and innovation series, Turin, pp.128-144.