The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Derek Walker, has announced the launch of a new podcast series aimed at exploring how a well-being economy could have positive change for Wales and amplifying the importance of long-term thinking in decision-making.
This ongoing series will serve as a powerful tool to help public bodies and policymakers across Wales consider the far-reaching impacts of their actions, aligning with the nation’s commitment to sustainability and well-being.
The first episode will launch this Wednesday, 15th January, and will be available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The podcast is produced in collaboration with Business News Wales as part of the media firm’s new podcast production services and will highlight the commissioner’s strategy, Cymru Can, and how his team is supporting and challenging public bodies to improve well-being in Wales.
Insights and findings from the podcast will be explored further and will contribute to a series of features and columns on Business News Wales as part of the service.
Hosted by Future Generations Commissioner Derek Walker, the inaugural episode features internationally renowned economist Kate Raworth as a special guest. Raworth, creator of the Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries and co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, is a leading voice in 21st-century economics. Her best-selling book, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist, has been translated into more than 20 languages and has inspired audiences ranging from the UN General Assembly to Pope Francis to grassroots movements like Extinction Rebellion. In the podcast, Raworth and Walker delve into the principles of a well-being economy – an economy designed to serve people and the planet, ensuring quality of life and environmental harmony.
In 2025, the commissioner will share findings across the Act’s implementation, climate and nature, health and well-being, culture and Welsh language, and a well-being economy, in his Future Generations Report, as Wales marks 10 years of committing to future generations thinking.
Promoting a well-being economy is one of the commissioner’s five missions under Cymru Can, and the inaugural episode sets the tone for the series by exploring the concept – what it is, why it makes sense for Wales, and how it can be implemented in practice.
Wales is the only country in the world with a Well-being of Future Generations Act, which means Welsh Government, health boards and others have to improve life for those not-yet-born as they take decisions today. It’s created change in Wales from a progressive school curriculum to a greener transport strategy and a definition of prosperity that focuses on people and planet, but the commissioner has made it his top mission to support the law to work harder.
Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, said:
“This series is a vital step in our mission to ensure the needs of future generations are at the heart of public policy. By engaging directly with policymakers and public bodies through this accessible platform, we can inspire and inform meaningful change.
“The first episode, with Kate Raworth, looks at cities and regions across the world which are seeking to redesign their economy around the wellbeing of people and planet, including in Wales, for example Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The podcast asks what do we mean by economic growth, what is it for – and who is it for? These are the questions we must be posing around the purpose of economic growth in Wales.”
