Walter Moss published an article “Is Consumer Capitalism Outdated?” in Los Angeles based LA Progressive which analyses and connects Occupy Wall Street, Spirituality in Business, E.F. Schumacher’s human scale economics, Steve Jobs’ legacy and Laszlo Zsolnai’s work on Buddhist Economics. He argues that perhaps the best we can do in our present period of malaise is to seek the truth and wisely attempt to bring our lives and societies more in keeping with it.
The presentation summarizes the works and activities of the European SPES Institute in 2015-2017. It covers conferences, workshop and publications as well as future projects. European SPES 2015-2017
A paper on “Business for the Greater Good: GNH Rating for Enterprises” by Laszlo Zsolnai and Zoltan Valcsicsak was presented at the 7th International Conference on Gross National Happiness in November 7-9, 2017 in Thimpu, Bhutan. The authors argued that Gross National Happiness (GNH) provides an alternative framework that can help enterprises to develop broader, more inclusive business models that aim to serve the greater good of society. The four pillars of GNH may be… Read More »Business for the Greater Good: GNH Rating for Enterprises
Laszlo Zsolnai was lecturing on “New Business Models for Future Earth” in a kick-off seminar at the NHH Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen on March 14, 2017. It was the start of a 2 year research program on Sustainable Business Models in which ESADE Business School Barcelona, Copenhagen Business School and Corvinus University collaborate with NHH. Sustainable Business Models
Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Issues and Themes in Moral Economics.’ , in Economics as a Moral Science, eds. Peter Rona, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Springer, 2017. (This book may be available at: Springer) This paper summarizes the main issues and themes in the development of moral economics. Zamagni suggests that we can harness market interactions by re-defining the market in a non-individualistic way, as a network of mutually beneficial relations, along the lines suggested by the civil economy paradigm. Bouckaert underlines that… Read More »Issues and Themes in Moral Economics
Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Economic Rationality versus Human Reason .’ , in Economics as a Moral Science, eds. Peter Rona, and Laszlo Zsolnai, Springer, 2017. (This book may be available at: Springer) First the paper analyses the rationality assumptions of mainstream economics and shows that they are empirically misleading and normatively inadequate. It argues that the world ruled by self-interest based rationality of economic actors leads to ’unreason’ from a wider ecological and human perspective. The paper illuminates that human reason… Read More »Economic Rationality versus Human Reason
Ove Jakobsen & Laszlo Zsolnai (Eds.): Integral Ecology and Sustainable Business. Emerald, 2017. (This book may be available at Emerald) This collection addresses the relationship between business, the natural environment, ethics, and spirituality. While traditional economic theory generally assumed firms maximize profits, it has long been acknowledged that other factors may be important to understanding firm activities. The role of ethics and spirituality in society is clearly significant, yet economists have traditionally had little to… Read More »Integral Ecology and Sustainable Business
Eleanor O’Higgins & Laszlo Zsolnai (Eds.): Progressive Business Models: Creating Sustainable and Pro-social Enterprise. Palgrave-Macmillan, London, 2017. (This book may be available at Palgrave) The book collects and analyzes 11 exemplary cases of progressive business. Progressive business is understood as ecologically sustainable, future respecting and pro-social enterprise. The collected cases aim to show the best to be expected from business in the 21st century. The purpose of each case chapter is to delineate the business… Read More »Progressive Business Models: Creating Sustainable and Pro-social Enterprise
Laszlo Zsolnai gave a presentation on the Future Earth’s Finance and Economics Knowledge-Action Network at a roundtable meeting organized by Finance Norway and Future Earth Norway on May 30, 2016 in Oslo, Norway. He presented the main propositions and value-basis of the Future Earth Finance and Economics program and emphasized the importance of reinventing business models for serving the commonwealth of life on Earth. (See link) Finance Norway
Laszlo Zsolnai ‘Buddhism and Economic Development.’ , in Teaching Buddhism, eds. Todd Lewis, and Gary DeAngelis, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2016. Buddhist Economics is not the same as Economics of Buddhism. The former is a modern discourse that utilizes elements of Buddhist thought to construct an alternative model of the economy and the latter is a study of how Buddhists organize their econimic life in real-world social settings, past or present. Buddhist Economics is essentially a normative enterprise… Read More »Buddhism and Economic Development