PhD Student with TransTechnology Research at Plymouth University via Schumacher Research-in Action node.

The starting point for my research inquiry is a reflection on my life time of experience of practicing economics in different domains of life and in different countries.  In particular, I will reflect on times that I felt disquiet, dissonance and disconnection with the practices of economics and my own beliefs and values.  For example, the practices of environmental valuation that gives greater economic value to those that are already wealthy or the policy prescription of community wildlife management that incentivises behaviours that promote hunting of African game for pleasure, leisure and status.

Exploring systemic dis-ease in this way, is a departure point towards exploring the phenomena of wholeness, health and well-being and what this means for a new approach to economics.  My inquiry will delve deeply into the co-arising of the interior and exterior; the dynamic process by which form comes into being; and ways of recognising the appearing of patterns of health and dis-ease at different levels of scale (from the individual to communities to economies).  I will explore the knowledge and practices of dynamic and relational forming processes from pre-modern and post-modern schools of thought including Chinese cosmology; phenomenology ; complexity science and social constructionism that can shed light on this phenomena, as well as drawing on the work of other practitioners in this field.

My intention is to create new insights into the principles and practices of economics both as a discipline and as a daily lived reality.  In particular, the inquiry will evolve alternative perspectives on core themes in economic thought and practice including the co-arising of interior worlds (values, mind-sets; worldviews and narratives) at both the individual and collective levels and their manifestation in economic forms and ways of organising; the emergence of ethics and values; re-imaging work and livelihood; the value of aesthetics, creativity and making; and re-visiting processes of exchange.