This episode focuses in three areas: (1) the underlying assumptions of the prevailing economy and the challenges in moving our economy in new directions, (2) the discussions happening among professional economists about changes and different economic models, and (3) local initiatives he considers important in showing that alternative sub-economies can be created within the larger, prevailing economy.
Barry Shelley is senior lecturer at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He went to that work after three decades of experience as a practitioner, teacher, and researcher focusing on the political economy of international development and the environment, particularly in rural areas of the Global South. Most recently, he served as Global Advisor for Agriculture and Climate Change for Oxfam America. There he contributed to organization-wide strategy and research and traveled often to support national teams in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Previously, he taught in the MA program in sustainable development at Brandeis University and undergraduate courses at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts; conducted research in Mongolia and Latin America; and worked in El Salvador with both U.S.-based and national NGO’s or non-governmental organizations. His shift to international work followed jobs as an organizer and program leader in U.S. domestic social-change programs.
