New Economics Foundation

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) is "a radical 'think-and-do' tank, founded in 1986 by the people who led the first Other Economic Summit – a fore-runner to the World Social Forum. It is based on the principles of new economics, and was voted Prospect Magazine’s UK Think Tank of the Year in 2002/3. Working on the UK and international economies and the environment, it seeks to promote well-being, rights and environmental sustainability, and to resolve tensions between these objectives." [1] [2]

Profile

According to the Institute for Philanthropy, the stated purpose of the New Economics Foundation is that it "aims to construct a new economy centred on people and the environment. ... Founded in 1986, it is now one of the UK's most creative independent think-tanks, combining research, advocacy training and practical action. ... NEF was founded by the leaders of the 1984 Other Economic Summit (TOES) which challenged the G7 Summit meeting. TOES is now a regular international event bringing voices from the world's poorest countries to the G7 and G8 summits to force issues such as international debt and climate change."

"It advocates social accounting and auditing, indicators for sustainability, social investment and alternative currencies." --Last updated March 4, 2005; accessed June 28, 2005.

Funding

There is no funding information on their website, however, the Institute for Philanthropy states that the NEF's funding sources are:

• Charitable trusts
  • Which is not specified
• Public finance - National Lottery
  • It is not clear if the NL is the only source, but it is not a non-departmental public body (or QUANGO); this may be verified from the government's published list of such organisations, trusts, etc
• Businesses
  • Which is not specified
• International grant making bodies
  • Again, which is not specified
• Individual supporters with @£20 membership fees
  • How many is not specified

NEF's total income was £1.3m as of March 4, 2005. [3]

Projects

• "nef works around the UK" [4]

Plugging the Leaks

The "Plugging the Leaks" website was designed by NEF "to provide access to information for people concerned about their local economies. Most of the information on this website builds on the knowledge contained in our two how-to handbooks, Plugging the Leaks and The Money Trail. The website offers supplementary information – case studies, PowerPoint presentations, images, document and survey templates – to assist you in your own work to improve your local economy." [5]

• Contact: Plugging the Leaks at NEF.
• URL: http://www.pluggingtheleaks.org/

Jubilee Research

"Jubilee Research is part of the Global and National Economics (GNE) programme at nef (the New Economics Foundation, London)." [6]

• Contact: Jubilee Research at NEF.
• URL: http://www.jubilee2000uk.org

e-Democs.com

e-Democs.com "combines DELIB's leading e-consultation toolkit with the New Economics Foundation e-participation model to create an engaging internet 'discussion forum' ...." [7]

• Contact:
• URL: http://www.e-democs.com/

Quotes

"Small shops have closed at 500 per year"

Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP (Labour), speaking of their index of firms promoting inner city development, said that "IC100 will show that even the more disadvantaged inner cities are not the enterprise 'no-go' areas of the past, but the investment opportunities of the future." [8]

Leaders

• Director: Stewart Wallis
• Deputy director: Andrea Westall
• Director of operations: Elna Kotze
• Director of Policy: Andrew Simms
• Senior associates: David Boyle, Pat Conaty, Ann Pettifor
• Full list of staff (5 pages)

External Links

NEF Related Websites

• DELIB website.
• e-Democs.com website.
• Jubilee Research website.

Background

• "New Economics Foundation," The Philanthropy Atlas.
• "New Index (Inner City 100) will Reward Inner City Innovations," University of Sheffield, Environmental Business Network, 2001.
• The Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG), part of The UK Resource Discovery Network, which previously hosted their website.
• Client Study: "New Economics Foundation," Total Coverage, the cooperative design consultancy; URL totalcoverage.coop/.

Reports by New Economics Foundation

• Molly Conisbee, Petra Kjell, Julian Oram, Jessica Bridges Palmer, Andrew Simms and John Taylor, "Clone Town Britain: The loss of local identity on the nation's high streets" (PDF Download), August 28, 2004.
• Hetan Shah and Nic Marks, "A Well Being Manifesto for a Flourishing Society" (PDF download), September 28, 2004.
  • Related Press Release.
  • The survey the report was based upon.
• Andrew Simms, John Magrath and Hannah Reid, "Up In Smoke: Threats from and responses to, the impact of global warming on human development" (PDF download), October 20, 2004.
• Corrina Cordon and Ruth Potts, Edited by Mary Murphy, New Economics Foundation: Annual Review 2004 (PDF download), January 3, 2005.
• Andrew Simms, Petra Kjell and Ruth Potts, "Clone Town Britain: The survey results on the bland state of the nation" (PDF download), June 6, 2005.

Contact

New Economics Foundation
Address:	3 Jonathan Street, London, SE11 5NH
Tel:	020 7820 6300
Fax:	020 7820 6301
Website:	www.neweconomics.org
Email:	info AT neweconomics.org