Using doughnut economics to structure whole-system thinking with multidisciplinary stakeholders – a soft systems approach

Abstract This study considers an alternative framework for sustainable and equitable human prosperity in the city of Glasgow. The city’s ambition to transform to a Green Wellbeing Economy is explored through cross-sector engagement with Doughnut Economics: a framework that considers social and ecological wellbeing simultaneously. Cities globally are home to an ever-increasing share of the world’s population, and disproportionate contributors to ecological degradation, making them crucial partners for progress towards this goal. Significant buy-in is therefore required from a diverse range of cross-sector and multidisciplinary stakeholders. We ask how conceptualising interconnections between people and planet is aided by the Doughnut framework, and whether it supports systems thinking for stakeholders working in policy and practice. This paper examines the potential of applying the Doughnut Economics framework in Glasgow, Scotland, to (1) enhance understanding of the socio-ecological systems we live in, and (2) guide action-oriented solutions with multidisciplinary stakeholders. We used soft systems approaches - a qualitative method that can help define complex problems and direct action - to navigate complexity, align plural perspectives, and identify enabling conditions for whole-system change. Drawing on five participatory workshops and desk-based analysis, we co-produced a City Portrait of Glasgow spanning 44 dimensions derived from the Doughnut framework. We find that the Doughnut framework encourages cross-sector collaboration, supports holistic systems thinking, and that the Portrait tools can identify policy synergies and trade-offs in relation to the Doughnut’s wellbeing goals. The framework therefore has the potential to promote policy coherence if these insights are subsequently translated and operationalised into meaningful city-wide action.