SMART LEGISLATION

I grew up in a small town in Germany, had a blessed First World academic household with a part-time working dad and landed a secure, well paying job as early as 16 years. My household taught me to value fairness over greed, to understand other people’s situations and that injustice is as much part of human history as is kindness.

Early experience as a union representative and many protest marches showed me the strength of unity and the virtue of activism.

This had given way to a year abroad in the US, heightening my belief of individual responsibility for one’s situation.

Two years of evening school diploma and shift work followed as well as a desire to abandon all my current beliefs to build upon history, philosophers and diverse opinions to create my own image of the world.

I then quit my job and ventured out to study chemical engineering in England. I obtained an appreciation of how scientific and technological advances have benefited humankind, the relevance of industry and economic activity for today’s living standards and how conventionally unsustainable resource consumption has led to our current wealth.

As a consultant at McKinsey & Company, I had the chance to work in many different countries and with a colourful palette of colleagues. It taught me to wonder about the complexity of our world, the relevance of stakeholder involvement for change and how incentives appeal most to our human nature.

My next step is to pursue a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering to further advance the application of the food-energy-water nexus approach, a framework to optimize the societal use of commodities and land by holistically accounting for economic and ecosystem processes. Ideally, this will open my eyes further to sensible, practical and creative policy changes that can benefit every one of us.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

In the wake of the prowess of technology, global action against climate change and rapid societal change, I want to facilitate a discussion on a robust scheme of laws and regulation that bring out the best in us and can be exemplary for most countries and law-making entities.

It can serve as inspiration for activists or party members, as a guideline for policymakers or just help see the manifestos of parties in a different light. 

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Freakonomics and management consultancy have showed me that smart incentives, rather than obligations, are key to motivate people and organizations to work towards lifting the boat for all of us while preserving the ecosystem that allows us to thrive. These incentives may be financial gain, social recognition or moral implications.

Hence I would like to propose ideas on practical laws that can be implemented today, rather than a fight in the trenches of ideologies – which likely prolongs suffering and ecosystem degradation. I wholeheartedly invite criticism and discussion. This is an unfinished and flexible construct that is made better by everyone’s experience and knowledge.

I appreciate comments or suggestions when coherent reasoning, decent use of language and specific solutions are presented.

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The legislative suggestions are based on already existing laws within a social market economy like most nation states in Europe exhibit. Unemployment benefits, pensions, inheritance tax and other social market concepts are thus understood as given. However, the exact details and the implementation of those concepts are indeed up for discussion.