Kate Raworth is one of the most influential visionaries of our time. With her Doughnut-Economy-Model and the groundbreaking work of the Doughnut Economy Action Lab (DEAL), which she co-founded, she does not just challenge established economic praxises, but makes a very practical contribution to a sustainable economy within planetary boundaries.
Born in 1970 in Great Britain, Kate Raworth studied politics, philosophy and economics, as well as developmental economics at Oxford University. Her career reaches from working with small businesses in the villages of Zanzibar, over co-writing the Human Developmental Reports for the UNDP in New York, to being a Senior Researcher for Oxfam. Today, she is the Senior Teaching Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute of Oxford University and Professor of Practice at the Amsterdam University of Applied Science. She was awarded several honorary doctorates by the University of York, the University College Dublin, the KU Leuven and the Business School Lausanne.
Her lifework culminated in the creation of the "Doughnut Economics" - an influential model, which connects the social basic needs of humanity with the limits of our planet and forms it into a defining, guiding image. In her international bestseller "Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to hink Like a 21st Century Economist" (2017), Raworth critics the fixation on growth in classic economical approaches and advocates for a regenerative and distributive system. With her critique of purely GDP-centric growth and her concrete proposals, she succeeds in providing vital food for thought, challenging established paradigms, and sparking a broad discussion.
Raworth considers the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) as her core piece of work. The Doughnut Economics Action Lab translates her theoretical approaches into a highly dynamic, global and practical movement. DEAL offers free, accessible and practically proven tools and methods to communities, schools, businesses and governments, to allow the theoretical "Doughnut" to become reality. From pioneer cities like Amsterdam, which aligns its entire urban development strategy with the Doughnut model, to countless local grassroots initiatives worldwide: DEAL proves daily that sustainable economic theory does not need to stay in the ivory tower, but instead offers the base for real, systemic change.
Through her clear, accessible language and the tireless work of DEAL, Kate Raworth started a global movement for the future of economy, which reaches far past pure theoretical sustainability. The honorary prize of the German Sustainability Award honors this extraordinary acomplishment and her inspiring role in bridging the gaps between academic theory and transformative, practical action, which DEAL offers on a global scale. In a time of multiple crisis, her work reminds us of how precious and courageous it is to explore new ways of thinking and to bring different perspectives for a sustainable future together in a dialogue.