Doha Debates– Don't settle for a Divided World
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DohaDebates-debate-capitalism

Capitalism

Can we prosper without growth?

This debate was held at Northwestern University in Qatar
October 23, 2019

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Introduction

Is capitalism built for today’s challenges, or is it due for sweeping changes? As the wealth gap widens and natural resources shrink, the engine of capitalism — limitless growth — is clashing more and more with the need for sustainability on a planet whose very survival is threatened. Capitalism’s defenders say it’s adaptable to the moment, but a new movement is underway for alternative paths to prosperity without growth as its centerpiece, from the Green New Deal to initiatives in Africa and Latin America. Is common ground possible?

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Find discussion questions, educational resources and more on this topic with the Deep Dive curricula. 

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1:01:34
FULL DEBATE

Capitalism

Framing the debate

Jason Hickel, an anthropologist and author of The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and Its Solutions, focuses on inequality and ecological economics. He argues that capitalism’s growth is a killer, the corrupt engine behind climate destruction and ecological collapse. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the former president of Mauritius and an adviser at the Global Network for Africa’s Prosperity, defends capitalism from the practical side of how capitalistic growth transformed Mauritius into a country with greater resources for more people. Anand Giridharadas, a Time magazine editor and the author of Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World, paints a picture of the stark difference between capitalism in concept and capitalism in practice.

Intro statements from our speakers:

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3:37
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Jason Hickel: Economic Growth Is Killing Us

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3:22
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Anand Giridharadas: We Do Not Have Free Market Capitalism

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3:40
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Ameenah Gurib-Fakim: Africa Will Be the Source of A Global Labor Force

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Speaker Spotlight: Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

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Speaker Spotlight: Anand Giridharadas

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Speaker Spotlight: Jason Hickel