Dutch academics 5 point manifesto for economic change after Chinese virus crisis

Okiya

Elder Lister
I know Kenyan academics are waiting for Chinese virus to end so they can resume back to reggae. But let me share what Dutch academics are thinking. I understand it is viral in the Dutch media.


1) Shift from an economy focused on aggregate GDP growth to differentiate among sectors that can grow and need investment (critical public sectors, and clean energy, education, health) and sectors that need to radically degrow (oil, gas, mining, advertising, etc).


2) Build an economic framework focused on redistribution, which establishes a universal basic income, a universal social policy system, a strong progressive taxation of income, profits and wealth, reduced working hours and job sharing, and recognizes care work.


3) Transform farming towards regenerative agriculture based on biodiversity conservation, sustainable and mostly local and vegetarian food production, as well as fair agricultural employment conditions and wages.


4) Reduce consumption and travel, with a drastic shift from luxury and wasteful consumption and travel to basic, necessary, sustainable and satisfying consumption and travel.


5) Debt cancellation, especially for workers and small business owners and for countries in the global south (both from richer countries and international financial institutions).


#5 really touched me. Yani someone thousands of miles away is concerned about us but our some of own here home hata hawana shuguli.
 
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DeepInYourMind

Elder Lister
I know Kenyan academics are waiting for Chinese virus to end so they can resume back to reggae. But let me share what Dutch academics are thinking. I understand it is viral in the Dutch media.


1) Shift from an economy focused on aggregate GDP growth to differentiate among sectors that can grow and need investment (critical public sectors, and clean energy, education, health) and sectors that need to radically degrow (oil, gas, mining, advertising, etc).


2) Build an economic framework focused on redistribution, which establishes a universal basic income, a universal social policy system, a strong progressive taxation of income, profits and wealth, reduced working hours and job sharing, and recognizes care work.


3) Transform farming towards regenerative agriculture based on biodiversity conservation, sustainable and mostly local and vegetarian food production, as well as fair agricultural employment conditions and wages.


4) Reduce consumption and travel, with a drastic shift from luxury and wasteful consumption and travel to basic, necessary, sustainable and satisfying consumption and travel.


5) Debt cancellation, especially for workers and small business owners and for countries in the global south (both from richer countries and international financial institutions).


#5 really touched me. Yani someone thousands of miles away is concerned about us but our some of own here home hata hawana shuguli.
I'm saddened by both the state of Kenyan academia and industry. I know kenya produces very bright people as a lot of them flourish in diaspora where they get good opportunities.

On the other hand I'm glad that the Internet exposes college and university students to information they would otherwise not get from their institutions
 
I know Kenyan academics are waiting for Chinese virus to end so they can resume back to reggae. But let me share what Dutch academics are thinking. I understand it is viral in the Dutch media.


1) Shift from an economy focused on aggregate GDP growth to differentiate among sectors that can grow and need investment (critical public sectors, and clean energy, education, health) and sectors that need to radically degrow (oil, gas, mining, advertising, etc).


2) Build an economic framework focused on redistribution, which establishes a universal basic income, a universal social policy system, a strong progressive taxation of income, profits and wealth, reduced working hours and job sharing, and recognizes care work.


3) Transform farming towards regenerative agriculture based on biodiversity conservation, sustainable and mostly local and vegetarian food production, as well as fair agricultural employment conditions and wages.


4) Reduce consumption and travel, with a drastic shift from luxury and wasteful consumption and travel to basic, necessary, sustainable and satisfying consumption and travel.


5) Debt cancellation, especially for workers and small business owners and for countries in the global south (both from richer countries and international financial institutions).


#5 really touched me. Yani someone thousands of miles away is concerned about us but our some of own here home hata hawana shuguli.
4 needs to be adopted especially for our politicians and their useless benchmarking.
5 Chinese needs to be forced to adopt this seeing as they are the origin and distributors of the Chinese virus
 

Okiya

Elder Lister
4 needs to be adopted especially for our politicians and their useless benchmarking.
5 Chinese needs to be forced to adopt this seeing as they are the origin and distributors of the Chinese virus
I agree. And the same should be implemented with Kenyan corporates. I was so saddened when Stanchart, EABL and Stanbic downsized by laying off some employees only to learn that the same jobs were outsourced to India and other Asian countries because it was cheaper.

These three corporates and am sure there are many others are examples of companies in Kenya whose #1 focus is profit growth. If they made 1billion profit in 2019 then they must make 2billion in 2020 whether it means laying off employees.

Kenyan companies should focus to thrive not to grow profits by any means necessary
 

Okiya

Elder Lister
I'm saddened by both the state of Kenyan academia and industry. I know kenya produces very bright people as a lot of them flourish in diaspora where they get good opportunities.

On the other hand I'm glad that the Internet exposes college and university students to information they would otherwise not get from their institutions
Kenyan academia are fighting on twitter am to pm.
 

Sambamba

Lister
I agree. And the same should be implemented with Kenyan corporates. I was so saddened when Stanchart, EABL and Stanbic downsized by laying off some employees only to learn that the same jobs were outsourced to India and other Asian countries because it was cheaper.

These three corporates and am sure there are many others are examples of companies in Kenya whose #1 focus is profit growth. If they made 1billion profit in 2019 then they must make 2billion in 2020 whether it means laying off employees.

Kenyan companies should focus to thrive not to grow profits by any means necessary
That is the weakness of capitalism. There has to be growth or the whole thing grinds to a halt.
Growth comes from increase in incomes and population which means that the west can't be the engine of growth.
Africa huge population but poor. That leaves only China as the driver of growth worldwide.
 

Ubongo

Elder Lister
Number 2 capitalism slowly adopting socialism. Corona has proven that ,that rush for an extra coin at the end of the day might not mean so much when your brother is in need
 

emali

Elder Lister
Number 2 capitalism slowly adopting socialism. Corona has proven that ,that rush for an extra coin at the end of the day might not mean so much when your brother is in need
what do you call a government which pays you to sit at home.. and pays for your hospital expenses.. in uk tunalipwa 80% of our salaries na of course health care hapa ni free at point of access because everyone contributes to it... police is also funded like everywhere else from taxes....
 

Ssabasajja

Elder Lister
what do you call a government which pays you to sit at home.. and pays for your hospital expenses.. in uk tunalipwa 80% of our salaries na of course health care hapa ni free at point of access because everyone contributes to it... police is also funded like everywhere else from taxes....
Ndo maana African and Middle Eastern immigrants wanataka kukuja huko na Nordic countries kwa fujo.
 

Ssabasajja

Elder Lister
Hehehe. It's funny that what the Dutch are trying to avoid is what Europe sells to the rest of the world as development.
Kwanza hio point number 4, how will they even achieve that? I thought a person is free to travel anywhere he or she feels like so long as the individual has cash and documents.
 
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