Presentation cancelled by author
The Three Awkward Companions of the SDGs: Growth, Inclusivity and Sustainability.
(Oral)
SEE PEER REVIEW
The Sustainable Development Goals have aspirations for achievements in respect of three important characteristics of development that have hitherto proven largely to be inimical. These are economic growth, inclusivity and sustainability. The cuckoo in the nest appears to be economic growth since thus far development that has been based on the pursuit of economic growth has been costly both socially and environmentally. The worrying growth of inquality is well documented and the unsustainable environmental impacts of rapid economic growth are evident. The SDGs mutely assert the compatibility of each but it is not clear what framework for development and progress would allow them to be compatible. This paper will use both theory and empirical examples to explore whether the three might be reconciled. It argues that the largest problem may lie in the continued dominance of key axioms in orthodox economics. The possibility of achieving the SDGs aspirations lies in the adoption of new forms of economics that are reoriented to human wellbeing.