The ideas of neoliberalism have dominated politics and the economy for about 50 years, leading most visibly to immense wealth for some of us and less wealth for most of us. However, I think history will name another and far longer-term effect as the most consequential - a retreat from the resilience that diversity supplies. I’m thinking of declining diversity in many senses - through monoculture in agriculture, through fossil fuels in energy sources, through ‘just-in-time’ manufacturing and through what I’ll call ‘mono-structural design’ in both the sourcing and supply of electricity and water. Neoliberalism with its forebears, without clear acknowledgement or debate, has increasingly put all of society’s metaphorical eggs in one basket. The downsides of reduced or missing resilience are obvious in a article about the flow of the Danube. See https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/aug/16/danube-drought-destroyed-crops-rock-of-starvation-climate-crisis. We’re leaving an era where money was what mattered - being valuable and relatively scarce - and where food, fuel and drink were taken for granted - being abundant and relatively cheap. In the coming era, it’s already clear that things will work the other way around.

Steve has made it clear that, in economics, most universities are barriers rather than bridges to knowledge. ‘Regenerating Economics’ is a counter-initiative mentioned by a Scottish Skool member (sadly, I’ve lost their name - would they please identify below) I plan to visit to this group, to explore their awareness of Steve’s work, Ravel and Skool. See - https://www.regenerativeeconomics.earth/home It aims to rebuild education about economics from scratch, at secondary-school level. It’s currently a small group but they seem to have extensive experience of that level of education. It’s ambitious, multi-national and very much a work-in-progress - much of its Website is under construction. It’s building an online textbook, with comprehensive scope going way beyond the market / selfish individual / energy-blind approach of the mainstream, towards a complex systems-dynamics energy and resource based outlook. For flavour, here’s a selection of headings from its Introduction : What is the economy? Ecology and the economy Society and the economy Doughnut economics Households, markets, the commons and the state Biomimicry for economic design Circular economies Distributive economies Caring economies Later sections go into detail about: Households Markets Commons The State Money and finance Global exchanges There’s a great overview video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCA9zJFMJTM

State governments bank at private banks. When they overspend, they borrow, and that debt compounds just like household debt. Federal governments bank at the central bank. When they spend more than they tax, they create fiat money that flows into the economy. Completely different mechanics. So why is California trying to fix a federal funding cut with a state tax? 🫤 Steve breaks this down in his latest video using Ravel©, showing what actually happens when you increase federal transfers instead. Spoiler: the state deficit vanishes and federal debt does NOT explode 🔥 He also walks through why the workers' share of GDP dropped from 64% to 58% in barely a decade, and what the monetary system has to do with it. Check it out here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufn_Z2RqI_c&views