Seven Acupuncture Points for Shifting Capitalism to Create a Regenerative Ecosystem Economy

This paper explores the underlying system of thought that has led to
our current economic, ecological, social, and spiritual crisis and
proposes new ideas and leverage points for a green, inclusive, and
intentional ecosystem economy.

The framework discussed in the paper is based on two main ideas. The
first assumes three stages in the evolution of Western capitalism:
Capitalism 1.0—the free market or laissez-faire capitalism (focus on
growth); capitalism 2.0: a more regulated European- style stakeholder
capitalism (focus on redistribution); and capitalism 3.0: an (as-yet-
unrealized) intentional, inclusive, ecosystem economy that upgrades the
capacity for collaboration and innovation throughout all sectors of
society (focus on ecosystem innovation). The second identifies seven key
dimensions and categories of economic thought that need to be reframed
in order to move the economic system from the 2.0 to 3.0 stage. They
are:

1. 1. Coordination mechanisms: Upgrade the economic operating system from
      one driven by competition and special interest group led legislation
      (“ego-system awareness”) to one that operates from shared seeing and
      common will (driven by an intentional “eco-system awareness”).

1. Nature: Design all production and consumption cycles completely
   earth-to-earth (without the need for landfills and in co-evolution with
   the natural ecosystem).
2. Labor: Create economic human rights (such as basic income, access to
   health, education, entrepreneurial opportunity) in order to enable all
   people to actualize their full creativity for shared wealth generation
   and social well-being.
3. Capital: Redesign and redirect money and capital flows to serve all
   sectors of the economic system (and develop commons based property
   rights in support of it).
4. Technology: Build communities of creation to generate breakthrough
   technologies in areas that matter most to societal needs and
   aspirations.
5. Leadership: Reinvent leadership learning to facilitate “learning
   from the emerging future” rather than reproducing the patterns of the
   past.
6. Public Awareness and Conversation: Create infrastructure innovations
   that allow all citizens to become aware of their real power in
   co-creating the intentional ecosystem economy and in deepening our
   democracy

The problem today is that we try to solve 3.0 challenges with 2.0
frameworks and response patterns. The seven categories of economic
thought constitute seven acupuncture points that, if touched upon
simultaneously with strategic initiatives, could greatly accelerate the
shift of the economic system from 2.0 to 3.0.