Our Purpose

Making Impact Count

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We exist to promote the emergence of a Good Economy, one that works for everyone, both in the United Kingdom and around the world.

The Good Economy helps finance and business to play their part in solving major social problems. We are dedicated to creating a fairer and more sustainable society and use our social capital to convene disparate stakeholder groups to drive collaborative innovations for positive change.


Our Philosophy

Business, financial and political leaders say it is time for a new model of capitalism that delivers ‘inclusive growth’ and ‘shared prosperity’. The notion of ‘inclusive capitalism’ is an old idea, traceable to Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). It may be an idea whose time has come, but to make it a reality is something else altogether.

The Good Economy embraces many diverse elements of economic theory and practice that champion innovation, productivity, entrepreneurism and inclusion. We seek to create a broad church, a highly inclusive community of interests from a broad range of partners from the public and private sectors as well as from wider civil society.

We have varied economic development and social impact investment backgrounds, covering innovative policy, practice and research in every region of the world. The Good Economy is a ‘borderless’ concept with universal relevance, and we are aligned with partners globally and locally.

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Our Way of Working

We each play an important role in delivering on TGE’s purpose to facilitate the emergence of a Good Economy. Our work really matters and therefore it is important that we hold ourselves and each other accountable for living our values.

Our values and behaviours are:

Change is
Needed

We are convenors and change agents. We believe that social and place inequality are part of a web of systemic issues that require collaborative efforts to effect systemic change. We use our social capital to convene disparate stakeholder groups to drive innovative collaborations for positive change.
  1. We look for opportunities to support and grow the impact investing market (eg. helping to set industry standards) and / or connect the dots between clients and stakeholders.
  2. We are good listeners and value diverse perspectives and ensure that we are well informed.

People &
Places Matter  

We believe that people matter, and that good places help boost vitality and promote people's health, happiness and wellbeing. We believe that listening to the people whose lives are affected is the best way to understand impact.
  1. We take a human-centred approach to our work and always consider the context and dynamics of the people and places involved in our work.
  2. We take the time to actively engage with stakeholders and always treat everyone with kindness and compassion.

Thoughtfulness &
System Thinking  

We take a considered approach to ensure the best possible outcomes. We embrace interconnectivity and consider the broader implications, seeking to uncover hidden patterns, feedback loops and dependencies.
  1.  We help our clients to consider how to integrate impact in their decision making and performance reporting.
  2.  We take all available information into account and take the time to consider positive, negative and unintended consequences.

Independence &
Integrity 

We cherish our independence and believe that the fresh thinking we bring adds value to our clients. We believe we have an important contribution to make to the systemic change required and it is therefore critical that our theoretical rigour and integrity are never compromised.
  1. We chase down the truth and are not afraid to challenge our clients. We act as a critical friend to our clients, maintaining our objectivity and integrity at all times.
  2. We act honourably at all times, are fair in our decision making, and respect ourselves and each other.

The Difference We Make

In line with our commitment to facilitating the emergence of a good economy, we hold ourselves accountable for impact of our work. We are proud signatories of a number of best practice sustainability-related standards and initiatives.

Having completed our own Theory of Change, we are in the process of developing our own impact report.

Join our mailing list to receive the report once it’s published.

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Responsible Business

We believe that businesses have a crucial role to play in building a sustainable world and that good governance is as important as integrating positive environmental and social impact practices into one’s operations.

As a growing business we are mindful of our responsibilities to all of our stakeholders and to society at large. We are proud of our Living Wage Employer and Good Business Charter accreditations and we are members of the Better Business Act Coalition.

Team

Our Founders

Sarah Forster
CEO & Co-Founder

Sarah is CEO and Co-Founder of The Good Economy. She has worked at the forefront of finance for positive impact for more than 25 years, working in the fields of sustainable economic development, development finance, and impact measurement and management both internationally and in the UK.

Mark Hepworth
Co-Founder & Director, Research and Policy

Mark is a multidisciplinary economist and entrepreneur whose international career spans academia, public policy and business consulting. Mark’s work over 30 years has focused on innovation and new paradigms for economic development. He directs The Good Economy’s research and policy work on inclusive and sustainable development.

Sarah Forster
CEO & Co-Founder

Sarah is CEO and Co-Founder of The Good Economy. She has worked at the forefront of finance for positive impact for more than 25 years, working in the fields of sustainable economic development, development finance, and impact measurement and management both internationally and in the UK.

Mark Hepworth
Co-Founder & Director, Research and Policy

Mark is a multidisciplinary economist and entrepreneur whose international career spans academia, public policy and business consulting. Mark’s work over 30 years has focused on innovation and new paradigms for economic development. He directs The Good Economy’s research and policy work on inclusive and sustainable development.

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