What is progress?
💜 To register, please write to [email protected]
What do you count as progress? Is progress limited to economic growth, or should we look at other indicators as well, such as improvements in health, education, the state of nature and climate change?
At Volt, we look beyond economic growth measured by GDP, and instead strive for the well-being of all Europeans. But if we want to move towards a future with increased well-being, how do we then measure progress? Which metrics should we consider, how can we implement this in practice, and is this already being worked on by governments and international organisations?
EconFinCom is excited to invite you to our first Talk, where we will be joined by an expert on the topic of measuring sustainable and inclusive progress!
On 16 November, Rutger Hoekstra, professor of Sustainable and Inclusive Well-being at Leiden University, will join us virtually to share his insights and expertise of this important transition. Rutger currently leads the WISE Horizons project, which seeks to accelerate systemic change towards a new economic paradigm with wellbeing, inclusion, and sustainability at its core. Rutger has worked on this topic with the European Commission, the UN, the ECB, OECD, IMF and many other organisations, and has even written the book "Beyond GDP by 2030". He will be able to share an interesting perspective from behind the scenes!
The practicalities:
Monday 16 November, from 19:30 to 20:30 CET
Zoom link will follow prior to the meeting
The talk will be recorded, and the recording will be shared on our Volt Youtube channel.
Will there be time for discussion?
There will be time for questions and some discussion, and after the talk we will discuss the topic further internally. The continued discussion will take place on Haiilo and during the following EconFinCom monthly meeting on 3 December 2026.
Who can join this talk?
The talk is open for anyone, inside and outside of Volt! Feel free to share the invitation with anyone who might be interested in this topic The talk will also be recorded and available on Youtube.
What's a 'Talk'?
In EconFinCom we have recently formed a small working group to work on outreach, where we want to connect with inspiring organisations and experts in the area of economics and public finance. As part of this, we will organise regular Talks, where we invite an external speaker to share their insights on current topics within these fields. Join to be inspired!
