James Robertson (activist)
Encyclopedia
James Robertson a British-born political and economic thinker and activist, became an independent writer and speaker in 1974 after an early career as a British civil servant.
He studied Greats at Balliol College, Oxford
from 1946 to 1950 where he played cricket
and rugby union
, and ran cross-country
for the University
.
After serving on British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
’s staff during his "Wind of Change" tour of Africa in 1960, Robertson spent three years in the Cabinet Office
. Following that he became Director of inter-bank research for the big British banks.
In the mid-1980s Robertson was a prominent co-founder with his wife, Alison Pritchard, of The Other Economic Summit
(TOES) and the New Economics Foundation
. He is a member of Feasta
and a patron of SANE (South Africa New Economics Foundation), which was set up following his visit there in 1996.
In October 2003, at the XXIX annual conference of the Pio Manzu Research Centre, Rimini, Italy (closely associated with the UN), he was awarded a gold medal for his "remarkable contribution to the promotion of a new economics grounded in social and spiritual values" over the past 25 years.
Robertson's recent books include:
He and his wife live in Oxfordshire
.
He studied Greats at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
from 1946 to 1950 where he played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, and ran cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
for the University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
After serving on British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
’s staff during his "Wind of Change" tour of Africa in 1960, Robertson spent three years in the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
. Following that he became Director of inter-bank research for the big British banks.
In the mid-1980s Robertson was a prominent co-founder with his wife, Alison Pritchard, of The Other Economic Summit
The Other Economic Summit
The Other Economic Summit , was a counter-summit to the annual G7 summits, first held in 1984 in London. It included diverse groups of economists, greens and community activists...
(TOES) and the New Economics Foundation
New Economics Foundation
The New Economics Foundation is a British think-tank.NEF was founded in 1986 by the leaders of The Other Economic Summit with the aim of working for a "new model of wealth creation, based on equality, diversity and economic stability"....
. He is a member of Feasta
Feasta
Feasta is an Irish-language magazine that was established in 1948. Its purpose is the furtherance of the aims of the Gaelic League, an objective reflecting the cultural nationalism of the language movement, and the promotion of new writing...
and a patron of SANE (South Africa New Economics Foundation), which was set up following his visit there in 1996.
In October 2003, at the XXIX annual conference of the Pio Manzu Research Centre, Rimini, Italy (closely associated with the UN), he was awarded a gold medal for his "remarkable contribution to the promotion of a new economics grounded in social and spiritual values" over the past 25 years.
Robertson's recent books include:
- Creating New Money: A Monetary Reform for the Information Age (co-written with Joseph HuberJoseph HuberJoseph Huber is the chair of economic and environmental sociology at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg.He has written influential papers on monetary policy, for instance "Seigniorage Reform and Plain Money"...
) (New Economics Foundation, 2000) - Beyond The Dependency Culture (Adamantine/Praeger, 1998)
- The Transformation of Economic Life (Schumacher Briefing No 1, Green Books, 1998)
- A New Economics of Sustainable Development, a "Briefing for Policymakers" written for the European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
in 1997 (Kogan Page, 1999).
He and his wife live in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Recurring themes of his work
- Basic IncomeBasic incomeA basic income guarantee is a proposed system of social security, that regularly provides each citizen with a sum of money. In contrast to income redistribution between nations themselves, the phrase basic income defines payments to individuals rather than households, groups, or nations, in order...
- Citizen's income
- Ecological Consciousness
- Economic justice
- FeminismFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
- Globalisation
- Land Value TaxLand value taxA land value tax is a levy on the unimproved value of land. It is an ad valorem tax on land that disregards the value of buildings, personal property and other improvements...
- Local Self-Reliance
- Monetary reformMonetary reformMonetary reform describes any movement or theory that proposes a different system of supplying money and financing the economy from the current system.Monetary reformers may advocate any of the following, among other proposals:...
, System of Money and Finance - Patterns of change
- Sane Alternative
- Social Investment
- Social justiceSocial justiceSocial justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
- Voluntary simplicity
Books
- Monetary Reform - Making it Happen (2004), ISBN 0-9546727-0-4
- Creating New Money: A Monetary Reform for the Information Age (2000), ISBN 1-899407-29-4
- The New Economics of Sustainable Development: A Briefing for Policy Makers (1999), ISBN 0-312-22697-7
- Transforming Economic Life: A Millennial Challenge (1998), ISBN 1-870098-72-2
- Beyond the Dependency Culture: People, Power and Responsibility, ISBN 0-275-96315-2
- Sharing Our Common Heritage: Resource Taxes and Green Dividends (1998)
- Future Wealth: A New Economics for the 21st Century (1989), ISBN 0-304-31933-3
- Future Work: Jobs, Employment and Leisure after the Industrial Age (1985)
- The Sane Alternative: a choice of futures (1980), ISBN 093610600X
- Power, Money and Sex: Towards a New Social Balance (1976), ISBN 0-7145-2554-5
- Profit or People? The New Social Role of Money (1974), ISBN 0-7145-0773-3
- Reform of British Central Government (1971), ISBN 0-7011-1743-5
External links
- Working for a Sane Alternative - Robertson's web site, with biography, and downloadable texts of many of the books listed above