Humanity is currently in an intersection, and in that intersection, there are two contrasting paths. One is the path that leads to a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future that benefits all. The other is the path that leads to a calamitous, impoverished, and exclusive future that benefits only a very few. We believe that humanity should and must go for the former path — the path of sustainability, prosperity, and inclusivity — rather than the latter path. To do so, there needs to be a greater collective understanding of the forces that have brought humanity to this intersection — the forces of inequality, climate change, automation, and globalization. Progresa seeks to promote greater understanding of these forces. We are a student community and think tank dedicated to the study of the issues of the future — issues of inequality, climate change, automation, and globalization. We aim to analyze these issues on a broad, holistic, and multidisciplinary front which includes the important, yet often neglected, ethical and philosophical aspects.
We also believe that the discipline of economics is in a unique position of influencing the discourse surrounding those issues in lieu of its disproportionate role in policymaking. However, in studying those issues, conventional and old modes of thinking may no longer be enough. Modern problems require modern solutions. In economics, unlike in other disciplines, one mode of thinking — the neoclassical paradigm — has dominated the academic discourse. While useful and necessary in its time, it is time that the paths to reform and inclusion are opened, newer and more unconventional approaches such as behavioral economics should become a bigger part of the mainstream. It was Keynes who once said “the difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones”. Our analysis of issues will thus also include perspectives that may not currently be a dominant aspect of the mainstream discourse.
To effect change, we are also of the belief that any organization must go beyond the realm of the theoretical and move into the realm of praxis. Advocacy will be one of our goals. Our research and studies will be disseminated to the public in a manner that is accessible and not idiosyncratic. On top of that, we hope that our output will be able to inform those with the power to effect change. While the forces of inequality, climate change, automation, and globalization are global forces that transcend borders, we feel that there is a lack of space in the public discourse for these issues in Indonesia, which have contributed to a sense of negligence and lack of urgency when these are, in fact, the defining issues of our time. Hence, some of our output will be tailored exclusively to the context and realities of Indonesia in order to promote the public discourse here.
This manifesto serves as the founding vision of this student community and think tank. To quote Keynes again: “the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else”. We are hoping that while initially small, our community can sow the seeds for wider discourse that can lead to greater public awareness and understanding, which are always necessary precursors for any meaningful change and action. The seeds of progress always lie in the blossoming flowers of ideas and as such, we believe that progress is not only possible, it is inevitable.
Signed,
Founders of Progresa
