Maja Göpel is a leading voice in the field of transformation research, focusing on sustainability and global change. Her work delves into the complex challenges of our time, offering insightful analyses and innovative approaches to building a more resilient future. She advocates for systemic thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration to address pressing environmental and social issues. Göpel's research empowers individuals and institutions to navigate the complexities of global transformation with foresight and determination.
This book serves as a critical examination of contemporary issues, offering a deep analysis that challenges readers to reflect on their beliefs and behaviors. It aims to awaken awareness and provoke thought, pushing for a reevaluation of societal norms and personal values. Through its insightful commentary, it encourages readers to confront uncomfortable truths and consider transformative changes in their lives and communities.
After her previous book, Rethinking Our World, eloquently untangled the complex world we live in, Maja Göpel delivers the encouragement and the tools we need to go into action and build the world we want to live in. Humanity is undergoing a massive process of transformation, and the way we live will change fundamentally, because things we have taken for granted about the environment, the economy, politics, society, and technology are crumbling. In We Can Do Better, Maja Göpel explains how we can understand such complex developments and use this knowledge to achieve a better world. There have always been great transformations in history, triggered by humans -- thus, we can also shape them. Our window to the future is as open as never before. With this attitude, structural change is not an imposition, but an opportunity. It is time that we -- each of us individually, but also society as a whole -- allowed ourselves to think anew, to dream, and to ask two related, radical questions: Who do we want to be, and how do we want to live?
A radical vision for a better future: an economy that works for us, rather than the other way around. Our world is at a tipping point, and we feel it every day. Costs are rising, the gap between the rich and poor is increasing, natural resources are depleted, and the effects of climate change are starting to take hold. We are under increasing social and environmental stress. But, as leading economist Maja Göpel argues here, there is another path forward. She invites us to imagine what we want our future to look like, and offers solutions that will help us to get there. It's time to question our principles, set new goals, and re-evaluate our priorities. Time to rethink our world and find new ways of living that don't drain our planet any further. We need a fair distribution of wealth, and a way to reconcile the social with the ecological. We need to work smarter, not harder. Critical, yet full of encouragement, Maja Göpel chooses surprising and enlightening examples to illustrate how we can leave behind our familiar ways of living to achieve a better future.
How a New Economic Paradigm and Sustainability Transformations go Hand in Hand
The book emphasizes the necessity of a significant shift in understanding human wellbeing, economic prosperity, and healthy ecosystems to achieve sustainability. It integrates system transformation research with political economy and change leadership to highlight the role of purposeful human action in shaping history. Additionally, it introduces transformative literacy as a crucial skill for driving radical incremental change, suggesting that informed leadership is essential for navigating the Great Transformations ahead.