Economists for Future

What Economists for Future does

Economists for Future (E4F) is a volunteer-driven, non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2019 to mobilize the economics profession around the climate and ecological crisis. The organization operates as a knowledge mobilization platform, targeting academic economists, economics students, and climate-focused civil society through campaigns, original research, debate and interview series, and community engagement. Its flagship initiative is an open letter campaign that has accumulated 3,251 signatures from economists and supporters calling on the discipline to address the planetary emergency, complemented by an Economics Textbooks Review campaign targeting pluralism in curricula.

E4F's outputs are content-driven rather than software-based. Core products include the open letter platform, research reports (notably a 2024 Rejoinder that re-runs a 2021 methodology to assess whether mainstream economics journals have increased climate-related publication volumes), a Debate Series featuring critical examinations of neoclassical economics, sufficiency policy, wealth taxation, and post-work critiques, the 'Voices in Transition' interview series exploring Global South and biophysical perspectives, blog content, recorded events from the Rethinking Economics Festival and COP25, a bimonthly newsletter, and a volunteer program with two streams (Research & Insights; Communications & Outreach). The underlying technical stack is modest: a Webflow-hosted website served via a website-files.com CDN, email campaigning through Action Network, donation collection through the third-party Enthuse platform, a Google Forms-based volunteer intake form, and a YouTube channel (@economists4future) for event recordings. No proprietary software, mobile applications, or AI/ML components are present.

The revenue model is donation-only, with no paid products, services, or pricing tiers. The core team of approximately five volunteer leads, partition by stream rather than by paid function, operates pro bono. Since 1 May 2024, E4F has been hosted under Rethinking Economics International, a UK registered charity headquartered at 22A Beswick Street, Manchester (M4 7HR), having previously been administered by the Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik e.V. in Heidelberg, Germany. There are no external investors, venture funding rounds, equity instruments, parent company, or commercial ownership structure; control rests with the volunteer core team and advisory board, and E4F is GDPR-compliant in its data handling.

Name

Economists for Future

Legal name

Rethinking Economics International

Website

https://econ4future.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit advocacy organization mobilizing economists and economics students to engage with the climate and ecological crisis through open letter campaigning, original research publications, debate and interview series, and volunteer-led operations housed under Rethinking Economics International.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Economics Advocacy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Economics, Finance & Funding Policy Research (EDADADAE)

Keywords

• Climate economics advocacy
• Non-profit research
• Academic mobilization
• Planetary emergency policy
• Pluralist economics education

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations through Rethinking Economics International's Enthuse donation page. No paid products or services.
2. Volunteer-driven operations: Core team works in a volunteering capacity with no paid staff, reducing operational costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Economists for Future is a volunteer-run, non-profit advocacy and research organization that mobilizes economists and economics students to engage with the climate and ecological crisis. It delivers free research reports, open letter campaigns, debate and interview series, blogs, events, and a volunteer program — all funded by donations and offered at no cost to participants. The organization does not sell products or services and has no paid staff.

Product overview

Economists for Future operates as an advocacy and research organization offering a portfolio of engagement products including an Open Letter Platform with over 3251 signatures, Research Reports analyzing economics profession engagement in climate crisis, Debate Series for critical economics discourse, Voices in Transition interview series, Blog Content covering economic and environmental topics, recorded Events including seminars and book launches, a bimonthly Newsletter, and a Volunteer Program for community involvement. The organization does not offer a traditional software product but rather serves as a knowledge mobilization platform connecting economists with climate action advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Letter Campaign Campaign platform featuring an open letter extending the demand of climate strikers to the economics discipline, with 3,251 signatures from economists and supporters advocating for the profession to address the climate crisis.
• Research Reports Synthesized research reports analyzing the economics profession's engagement with the planetary emergency, including the 2024 Rejoinder on economics journals' engagement and the 2021 baseline analysis of climate-economics publication patterns.
• Debate Series A publication series featuring critical examinations of mainstream economics and discussions on necessary transformations, including contributions on neoclassical economics, sufficiency policy, wealth taxation, austerity, and post-work perspectives.
• Voices in Transition Series An interview series exploring diverse perspectives on climate economics, including conversations on biophysical economics, energy transitions, EU CBAM, and Global South viewpoints such as Odisha's steel industry transition.
• Blog Content Blog posts covering topics including raw materials transition, post-work critiques, wealth taxation, and neoclassical economics discourse.
• Events and Seminars Recorded and hosted events including book launches, research seminars, panel discussions, and presentations at venues such as the Rethinking Economics Festival and COP25.
• Volunteer Program Structured volunteer opportunities supporting the Research & Insights and Communications & Outreach streams, with specific roles for volunteer researchers and communications support, intake via Google Forms.
• Economics Textbooks Review Campaign Campaign reviewing economics textbooks to assess the inclusion of climate and ecological content in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3251 economists and supporters have signed the open letter demanding the economics discipline engage more meaningfully with the climate crisis

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rethinking Economics InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024From 1st May 2024, Rethinking Economics International became the data controller for Economists for Future. Rethinking Economics International is a registered charity in the United Kingdom (www.rethinkeconomics.org). They co-organize events including book launches and collaborate on campaigns. E4F accepts donations through Rethinking Economics International's Enthuse donation page.
• Network for Pluralist Economics (Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUntil 30th April 2024, the Network for Pluralist Economics was the data controller for Economists for Future. It is a non-profit association that supports the project/website infrastructure. The organization is committed to diversity and independence (www.plurale-oekonomik.de).
• PowerShiftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPowerShift is referenced as a civil society organization collaborating on raw materials transition advocacy. Authors Hannah Pilgrim and Michael Reckordt coordinate the AK Rohstreff network at PowerShift and work on German and European resource policy.
• Cambridge University PressminorOthersPublisher of Simon Sharpe's book 'Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics, and Diplomacy of Climate Change' which E4F co-launched at an event.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Earth Economics: Non-profit providing economic analysis of natural capital and ecosystem services. Comparable as an organization applying economic tools to environmental crisis, though focused on technical valuation rather than discipline reform.

Direct peers

• Network for Pluralist Economics (Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik): The German non-profit that served as E4F's prior data controller and supports the pluralist economics movement. Directly comparable in mission, geography (DACH), and advocacy for heterodox economics education.
• Green Economics Institute: UK-based organization advancing green and feminist economics. Directly comparable in mission to integrate environmental and social perspectives into economic thinking and education.
• Rethinking Economics: Rethinking Economics is the parent charity of Economists for Future and shares the same mission of pluralist and climate-aware economics education reform. It is the most directly comparable peer given the structural and operational overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET): Global think tank funding heterodox economic research and challenging mainstream economics. Comparable in advocating pluralist and climate-relevant economic thinking, with significantly larger resources and academic footprint.
• Positive Money: UK advocacy organization campaigning on monetary reform and banking. Comparable as a focused economics-discipline reform advocate with volunteer-driven campaigns and policy engagement.
• World Future Council: International policy organization focused on climate and sustainability policy. Comparable as an advocacy body influencing economic and policy frameworks toward planetary boundaries.
• New Economics Foundation (NEF): UK-based think tank promoting economic reform and climate justice. Broader incumbent with institutional funding, policy work, and publications overlapping with E4F's mission of reorienting economics toward social and environmental goals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/econ4future
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@economists4future
• Facebookfacebook.com/econ4future
• Instagraminstagram.com/economists4future
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/econ4future

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Economists for Future