Frankfurter Stadtgespräch VI

Infinite Growth?
On  the Economy of Evermore

30 June 2011, 8pm

Accompanying the financial and economical crisis the economical thought has changed. In theory and practice of Economics though, the paradigm of economical growth has remained more or less untouched. So let us ask the following question: Which concept of growth do we take as a basis? Do we need economical growth? And if so in which areas? And can economical growth be reconciled with ecology?

The 6th Stadtgespräch offers a high ranking podium with the thinker on business ethics, Prof. Hans Christoph Binswanger (University St. Gallen), the Economist Dr. Toni Föllmi, former Director of the Swiss National Bank in Basel and the Economist Prof. Bertram Schefold who is affiliated with the Cluster of Excellence in Frankfurt. They will discuss the topic controversially and competently.

The discussion partners:

Prof. Hans Christoph Binswanger (*1929) is former Economist and used to work at St. Gallen University. He is known as a non-Marxist critic of the growth paradigm. Binswanger invented an “Ecological Tax Reform”.

Prof. Bertram Schefold (*1943) is Professor for Economics, especially Economical Theory. He originally studied Mathematics, Theoretical Physics and Philosophy and later turned to Economics. Since the 1980s he has been occupied with economical Theory but also with environmental policy and energy analysis.

Dr. Toni Föllmi (*1938) was Director of the Swiss National Bank in Basel from 1985 until 2003. He has been occupied with questions concerning economical ethics for a long time. He especially focuses on monetary policy and in how far a just distribution of wealth is possible.

Peter Siller (* 1970) is Scientific Manager of the Cluster of Excellence `The Formation of Normative Orders' at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Formerly he was the director of the domestic divisions of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and a member of the planning staff at the German Foreign Ministry. He studied law and philosophy. In addition he is founder and managing editor of the journal `polar' which appears twice yearly in the Campus Verlag (www.polar-zeitschrift.de). He numerous publications on political philosophy and practice include `Rechtsphilosophische Kontroversen der Gegenwart' (1999), `Politik als Inszenierung' (2000), `Zukunft der Programmpartei' (2002), `Arbeit der Zukunft' (2006), `Politik der Gerechtigkeit' (2009).

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