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Win/lose situations happen a lot when people jump at an easy solution that gets an immediate problem off the table and makes everyone feel like they’re doing something good but without tackling any complexity - just plant trees, many recycling systems, electric cars are obvious examples.

A problem with the SDGs is that it is easy to pick the one or two that you are interested in and ignore the rest. That’s why I prefer Doughnut Economics.

I think win/wins are possible with genuinely diverse networks and well-managed collaborations. Not easy but possible. Both SDG17 Partnerships and Doughnut’s networks appear to recognise this.

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Thanks Gayle. Yes, easy solutions tend to often lead to perverse outcomes. Doughnut Economics is certainly an attractive model. The easiest way to make rapid progress on these challenges would certainly be to overturn the current economic model entirely!

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Overturning sounds drastic. How about starting with shifting mindsets about what we value and measure? This is a presentation I did for a local group last year to introduce the idea of Doughniut Economics. Currently thinking about what we will do for Global Donut Days this November where their theme is "local action global connection" https://shadylanesproject.substack.com/p/doughnut-economics

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Far too sensible! ;) But yes, shifting mindsets is 100% required to make any progress. The change needs to be from both bottom-up and top-down measures. I worry progress from top-down is always going to be too slow with vested interests. Bottom-up change is therefore extremely important.

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How about middle-out?

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