Doughnut economics is a visual framework for sustainable development that illustrates that social systems sit within overall planetary boundaries and ecological systems. [1]

It consists of two concentric rings:

• A social foundation – to ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials.
• An ecological ceiling – to ensure that humanity does not collectively overshoot planetary boundaries.

Between these two boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped space that is both ecologically safe and socially just – a space in which humanity and the entire Earth Community can thrive. [2]

The original model was developed by University of Oxford economist Kate Raworth in her 2012 Oxfam paper ‘A Safe and Just Space for Humanity’ [3] and elaborated upon in her 2017 book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. [4]

GreenPrints has developed a revised diagram representing a more Earth-centric approach and Indigenous concepts like caring for country. See below!

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut_(economic_model)

[2] https://doughnuteconomics.org/

[3] Raworth, Kate (2012). A Safe and Just Space for Humanity: Can We Live within the Doughnut? (PDF). Oxfam Discussion Papers.

[4] Raworth, Kate (2017). Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist. Vermont: White River Junction. p. 254. ISBN 9781603586740. OCLC 961205457.