Author: Kate Raworth.

Publisher: Cornerstone Press.

Comments: Oxford economist Kate Raworth argues that output and growth were the defining concerns of economics since the end of the 1950s with a fixation on GDP. These are no longer appropriate to the present. Nobel economists Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz and 23 other leading economists concluded that “those attempting to guide the economy and our society are like pilots trying to steer a course without a reliable compass”.

The Doughnut is an attempt to provide such a compass. The inner ring sets out 12 social foundations for humanity identified as sustainable development goals; the outer ring is formed of 9 planetary boundaries that earth system scientists have identified as being necessary for planetary stability. It replaces an impossible goal of endless growth by one of thriving in balance.

The theory has often been mentioned in the context of sustainability debates.