Building a new economy where people really take control

An agenda for change

11 October 2016

This summer has been a uniquely difficult one for many of us committed to the cause of a new economy, especially with Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.

But one thing is now clear. There has never been a greater need for a new economy or a more important moment to act than right now, because a storm that has been gathering for decades is firmly upon us.

A torrent of wealth and power is washing away the fragile footholds established over the past century with money, information and people becoming ever more mobile in a global and now digital economy.

Too many feel they have lost control over their lives and are now being left behind by changes in the economy, technology and climate even while being promised false solutions or a parody of control that threatens to make matters worse.

Yet, in the midst of all this upheaval, a surge of energy is being generated that can crack open new possibilities for change, and change now, not at some distant point in the future.

The New Economics Foundation exists to drive this change and give people the tools they need to take real control.

We reject the old model of think tanks. We know change does not begin in the corridors of power. And the summit of our ambition is bigger than solely influencing legislation or hoping to get included in a political party’s manifesto.

“We reject the old model of think tanks”

Instead, we are rooted outside the traditional boundaries of politics. We care most about people’s everyday experience and we will work with communities of all kinds to help them take control.

This is a Foundation for ideas and new solutions that thinks — and then acts.

Also, in an era where we must co-operate to survive, we will always seek to overcome what divides people and never shut ourselves off from the world or turn our backs on those different from ourselves.

The Foundation will forge new partnerships with institutions with real power ranging from devolved government and city mayors to business and trade unions, communities, campaigns and movements.

What follows in this document is an agenda for people to take more control over the decisions and resources that affect their lives today and a plan for how we can all begin to change the whole system tomorrow.