In this first episode, I am talking to Unathi Kolanisi. Unathi is an associate professor of consumer science at the university of Zululand, in South Africa. Her work focuses on food security. But Unathi has many other interests. One of them is improving the well-being of local rural communities, in particular women. In this episode, we are talking about research and community engagement.

Episode 1 Human Economy Community Engagement

Research for a fairer economy and society

Human economy is an innovative interdisciplinary scientific initiative dedicated to the observation and analysis of people economic needs and experiences.

It aims at (1) complementing and enriching the traditional field of economics by offering and promoting new ideas and innovative solutions from other disciplines, (2) voicing the experience of people and communities, (3) and proposing concrete policy-driven solutions in which research makes a direct impact. 

Human economy tackles observations and analysis to some of the most pressing issues, such as indebtedness, gender equality, poverty alleviation, sustainable development, and growing inequality; and ultimately proposes innovative ideas and solutions for a fairer economy and society. 

The main idea behind human economy is to restore a dialogue between disciplines in order to come together to the best and most adapted solutions and analysis with a focus on communities’ well-being. 

Humanities and social sciences research can offer alternative perspectives to traditional economics leading to a broader range of policy-driven solutions. 

Human Economy is conceived broadly and the intended center will be an incubator of innovative ideas.