Economie & Statistiques N° 3/22 - Neo-humanism and COVID-19: Opportunities for a socially and environmentally sustainable world

Recent research, conducted by Francesco Sarracino and Kelsey J. O’Connor of STATEC Research, use the case of the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate how the pursuit of economic growth has not worked out well for society. For instance, wealthier countries did not fare much better than others during the pandemic, and economic development contributed to the rise in the conditions leading to the pandemic. Instead, the authors argue for a shift from GDP as the preeminent measure of quality of life to well-being, and propose that societies should invest in the conditions for better social relations. Such a reorganization requires a new cultural movement, which the authors call neo-humanism.