The Friede-Gard-Preis for Sustainable Economics is intended to help achieve a breakthrough to a ‘better economics’.
The Friede Gard Prize for Sustainable Economics is awarded for outstanding scientific achievements in the further development of economics into a Sustainable Economics, i.e., an economic theory for a sustainable economy and society.
Such an economy must take the preservation of our livelihoods on earth as the top priority, in order to provide serious answers to the crisis-ridden threats, especially due to climate change and global warming - in contrast to the ‘business as usual’ of the neoclassical mainstream who still believes in eternal and unlimited growth on a finite planet.
Only if we preserve our livelihood, a ‘good life’ is possible in the future. The economy and society can therefore only be considered sustainable if they are economically, ecologically, socially and politically in a constellation that can basically last indefinitely.
In particular, this requires that we preserve our livelihoods and that the ecological sustainability of the earth is not exceeded and that human rights are realized for all people. Social balance and meaningful and fruitful economic and political participation are also required.
Prize-worthy work is therefore expected to yield theoretically new and practically significant results in at least one of the following areas:
- Incorporation of the ecological and social aspects into the model of the economy,
- Modeling of the (national or global) economy with explicit consideration of all aspects relevant for sustainability (e.g. nature/ land/resources ; money) with regard to real-world applicability,
- Conceivable is also that model-building on company or sector level (e.g. agriculture) results in achievements worthy of the prize.
- Theoretical tools for developing economic advice for practical political decision-making, e.g. for
- Complying with the climate targets of the Paris convention,
- Transformation of an existing growth-dependent economy into a post-growth economy (‚zero growth‘ or even de-growth),
- Socially balanced implementation of the shrinking of an economy in the case this is required by the ecological situation,
- Compensation of growing, stationary and shrinking economies on the global level.
The board of the foundation makes the decision about who is the prizewinner. It is supported by a committee which includes past prizewinners and possibly further qualified persons.
The foundation collaborates with the university of applied sciences Trier/ Umweltcampus Birkenfeld (UCB), which especially organizes the annual prize awarding ceremony.