Directions is a podcast series for people wanting to know more, but also for policy makers in search for new evidence-rooted policy recommendations to reinforce agendas towards sustainable human development.
In this podcast series, we explore the challenges facing our economic and social systems and dive into new perspectives that put people, the planet, and dignity back at the centre. We talk about how we conceive and measure progress, about universal social protection and human security and about why indicators and data truly matter for shaping a more sustainable future.
Directions is a space for ideas, debate, and new paths towards a more just and sustainable world.
The transition towards sustainable human development is not just a technical shift. It is a cultural one. And it requires clear directions based on a new shared consensus—one that brings together different voices, perspectives, and priorities.
With our guest speakers, we unpack the limits of today’s economic model and explore concrete ideas and new directions for change. We discuss the role of policy makers, citizens, media, and institutions in shaping a fairer and more inclusive future.
The urgency of fostering Sustainable Human Development. with Kaushik Basu
In this episode, we discuss with Kaushik Basu (professor in Economics at Cornell University and co-chair of the UN High-Level Expert Group on Beyond-GDP) on the urgency of fostering Sustainable Human Development across the world, based on only new theories and metrics, but mostly a renewed moral commitment by policy-makers and citizens.
Is reaching a consensus to go beyond-GDP possible? with Romina Boarini
In this episode, we investigate with Romina Boarini (Director of the OECD WISE Centre) how to trigger a consensus to go beyond GDP and foster Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing, taking into account technical, policy and public domains.
The stories behind indicators. with Pedro Conceição
In this episode, we focus on indicators. Together with Pedro Conceição (Director of the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme), we try to go beyond the simple interpretation of indicators as numbers to discover what they actually tell us about specific situations and societies. These stories that lie beneath indicators inform on the challenges that real people face and can become a useful tool to design policies that efficiently foster Sustainable Human Development.
Tackling today’s multiple crises with an integrated perspective. with Marc Fleurbaey
In this episode, we explore the complex concept of social progress with Professor Marc Fleurbaey (Paris School of Economics). We try to understand why it matters for fostering sustainability and shaping the future, and how it can help tackle today’s multiple crisis, and the crucial role of measurement in understanding and driving meaningful change.
How do we convince institutions to definitely go beyond-GDP? with Enrico Giovannini
In this episode, we discuss with Prof. Enrico Giovannini (full professor in Economic Statistics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and member of the UN High-Level Expert Group on Beyond-GDP) on how to convince policymakers, national statistical institutes, citizens and media to definitively go beyond-GDP focusing their efforts on Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing
Exploring the fallacy of the capitalist economic system. with Clara Mattei
In this episode, , together with Professor Clara Mattei (Professor of Economics at The University of Tulsa and President of FREE – Forum for Real Economic Emancipation), we unpack the limits of economic growth and the deep structural failures of our current economic system. We also explore the inputs that are needed to trigger a systemic change towards a new concept of productivity and sustainability transition.
Why is universal social protection fundamental for the future of our societies? with Shahra Razavi
In this episode, together with Shahrashoub Razavi (Director of the Social Protection Department at the International Labour Organisation), we delve deeper on the meaning of universal social protection, its role as a fundamental human right, its links to gender equality, climate action, and economic transformation, and why it is central to the future of our societies.
Directions – Navigating Beyond GDP Futures is a podcast series that explores the interconnections between economic growth, human flourishing, and sustainability. The podcast is produced under the framework of the project SPES – Sustainability Performances, Evidence and Scenarios, funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101094551.
The objective of the project is to better understand the interconnections between economic growth, human flourishing, and sustainability. The ambition is to equip policymakers with information that will guide their strategies for fostering sustainable human development, using new evidence about past, present and future performances of the sustainability transition.
SPES’ Scientific Director: Professor Mario Biggeri, University of Florence.
SPES’ Project Manager: Andrea Ferrannini, University of Florence.
Recording and editing: Barbara Palla, Communication Officer of the project.
