Today we are faced with many ‘wicked’ problems. These are problems that are complex because they emerge from the interactions of many ‘agents’ and are connected with other challenges. Climate change is one. Either allowing the Earth to become hotter and working to offset its impacts or enacting policies to minimize the increase the warming will affect all societies and their economies. Sustainability of is another ‘wicked’ problem. It is connected to the organization of economies – that they produce and who benefits from it – and therefore to societies. It is a challenge for how we live today while keeping the future in mind.

Most advanced economies are organized in one way or another on capitalist principles. They are arranged around markets of goods and services in which profits are created and then converted into investments that are expected to increase future production and productivity. Governments set the basic rules for markets but usually are not large players in them and usually only indirectly influence economic decisions of buyers and sellers. Such economic systems have produced massive increases in production, efficiency, innovation and technical knowledge and longevity. But they have caused social stresses which leave some asking what should be the purpose of the economy if not merely its expansion.

These and other challenges that we individually and collectively face today are the topics motivating the articles here. We expect that each in their own way will contribute to defining what is the Good Life and what is the Better World we all want.