Come and join us on Thursday 2 November 2017 at 5:30 pm for 6 pm and until 7:30 pm for the sixth ResearchNight.it organized by the Network of Italian Researchers in the Cape (NIRC) and the Italian Consulate in Cape Town. The Centre for the Book at 62 Queen Victoria Street (Gardens) will host a talk by Prof Lorenzo Fioramonti, Director of the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn), at the University of Pretoria. The talk, which will be given in English, will start at 6 pm and will be followed by a Q&A. A glass of wine before and/or after the talk will also be provided.
Economic growth is a constant mantra of politicians, economists and the media. Few people really understand what it is, but it’s normally considered the only possible approach to prosperity and development. The reality is that since the global financial crisis, growth has vanished in the more industrialised economies and in the so-called developing countries. Politicians may be panicking, but is this really a bad thing?
Using real-life examples and innovative research, acclaimed political economist Lorenzo Fioramonti lays bare society’s obsession with economic growth by showing its many flaws, paradoxes and inconsistencies. He argues that the pursuit of growth often results in more losses than gains and in damage, inequalities and conflicts.
His research shows that, by breaking free from the growth mantra, we can build a better society that puts the wellbeing of all at its centre. A wellbeing economy would help us optimise the resources we already have, develop a model of industrialisation driven by small businesses and customised production (rather than mass production) and create the many jobs we desperately need in the age of large-scale automation. A vision for radical change in South Africa and beyond.
Prof Lorenzo Fioramonti is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn), at the University of Pretoria and the Editor in Chief of the popular scientific magazine Solutions. His articles have appeared in a number of international newspapers, including The New York Times and the Guardian and his research has been reviewed and cited, among others, by the Financial Times. He is the author of over 60 scientific articles and 10 books, the latest of which is Wellbeing Economy: Success in a World Without Growth.
Please reserve your free ticket here!
NIRC 