Our Purpose

Making Impact Count

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.

Approach

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. Speaking for ourselves, inclusive capitalism sounds too complicated.

We prefer to put it more simply. Let’s work together to build the Good Economy – an economy that works for everyone.

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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Values

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:

Leading With
Authenticity

We live for what we stand for, not just as an idea, but as a standard for how we work, think and collaborate. We bring clarity, care and conviction to every challenge, and we help show the path to a better way of doing things. Clients feel part of something bigger, because they see we are as committed to meaningful change as they are. And we follow through with integrity and authenticity.

Clarity & Conviction: Communicate directly and with purpose, sharing your perspective with courage to create a clear path forward for everyone.
Integrity & Accountability: Build trust by aligning your actions with your words, taking full ownership of your commitments and outcomes.
Care & Collaboration: Act as a true partner by listening with empathy and fostering an inclusive environment where clients and colleagues feel empowered.

How does our behaviour shape this?

Collaborative
by Instinct

We don’t work in silos. We build relationships, connect the dots and convene the right people to move things forward. Collaboration isn’t a tactic for us, it’s how change happens, and it’s baked into how we operate because we believe that social and spatial inequality are part of a web of systemic issues that require collaborative efforts to effect systemic change.

Build Bridges, Not Silos: Actively break down silos by seeking diverse perspectives and openly sharing knowledge across teams to ensure work is always connected.
Convene & Connect: Move things forward by convening the right people, facilitating connections and creating an inclusive space for effective collaboration.
Embrace Shared Ownership: Foster a spirit of true partnership by co-creating solutions and ensuring that both the responsibility and the success are shared by everyone involved.

How does our behaviour shape this?

Rigorous &
Reflective

We take our role seriously. That means slowing down to think well, making space for complexity, and committing to evidence and care in how we work. We take all available information into account and take the time to consider the issue from all angles, possible solutions, best course of action, etc rather than just rushing into delivery. We thoughtfully provide practical solutions by being rigorous in our approach, meticulous in our work and transparent in our actions.

Make Space for Deep Thinking: Slow down to think well, deliberately pausing to consider challenges from all angles and reflect on potential consequences before choosing a course of action.
Embrace Evidence & Complexity: Commit to a rigorous, evidence-based approach, grounding your work in data and acknowledging complexity rather than resorting to easy answers.
Execute with Meticulous Care: Deliver practical, high-quality solutions by being meticulous in your work, transparent in your methods, and attentive to every detail.

How does our behaviour shape this?

Independent,
Trusted Thinkers

We’re not aligned to shareholder interests or political agendas. That independence gives us clarity, credibility, and space to challenge. We think systemically, act objectively, and bring thoughtful challenge when it matters.

Objectivity & Impartiality: Ground all analysis in objective evidence, ensuring your advice remains free from political agendas or personal bias.
Systemic Thinking & Clarity: Think systemically to understand the full context of any challenge, distilling complexity into clear and actionable insights.
Courageous & Thoughtful Challenge: Leverage your independence to challenge assumptions constructively, offering thoughtful alternatives that enhance thinking and build credibility.

How does our behaviour shape this?

Impact

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.

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Governance

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

Our People

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.