The economy is at a turning point, as are the economic sciences. Outdated and backward-looking theories are still in use. This prevents us from doing justice to the complexity of today's crises and from finding appropriate answers to the climate crisis. The predominant narrative "first the economy, then the environment" is a result of such a narrow approach. This negates, for example, the economic risks of the fossil economy and it misjudges the economic opportunities of an ecological and social transformation. But there are already some interesting approaches and economic perspectives which constitute an improvement. It is these that we should research, publish, talk about, and discuss!

I started studying economics during the financial and economic crisis in 2009 and already then, the discrepancy between teaching and events in the world was huge. In 2020 it is even more inappropriate to keep teaching the same old standard content. New research, the contrasting of paradigms with real patterns, and pluralistic content--which fortunately now exists--belong in every economics course!

Economic and business sciences are neither value-free nor gender-neutral. Critical economic and business sciences, feminist economics and economic ethics in all their plurality should have long been integrated into the study programs of every higher education institution and business school. And instead of again and again offering temporary teaching assignments, it is overdue to create more permanent positions for these fields. There is a whole generation of researchers who have not been provided with appropriate positions at universities.

Increasing threats to survival conditions show that the 21st century needs a different economics, one which is enlightened and reformed regarding environmental conditions. Therefore, the call from Economists for Future should not only apply to economics education proper, but above all to the continued development of economic disciplines against the background of this century’s ecological challenges.

Social entrepreneurs show every day that entrepreneurial thinking and economic activity do not stand in opposition to social values and planetary boundaries. Quite to the contrary, they can even contribute to solving social challenges. This must also be reflected in economics education, which is still characterized by principles of unlimited growth. We need more "Economists4Future" who want to shape a sustainable economy for people and planet.

During my studies of economics, some professors--all of whom were male at the time in Hamburg--came in and just wrote formulas on the blackboards. They did not lose even a word about the meaning of such concepts as allocation and even less about how market allocation affects society. Economics was regarded as a natural science. Not only the question of why the wife has sexual intercourse with the husband was of course explained mathematically (spoiler: lost costs in divorce), also racist wage structures were (the entrepreneur incurring 'psychological costs' when hiring blacks). Whoever was best in this thinking became a great economist. And then the world wonders why economists are surprised that around them the world is breaking apart.

The Corona pandemic has demonstrated more strongly than all previous crises how crucial a new economic identity is, in which ecology and society jointly structure the economy for the benefit of everyone. In order to achieve this, we have to focus on sustainability and social interaction in education, including on the university-level, to a far greater extent than currently done. At the Federation of German Scientists (VDW), we are creating new interdisciplinary spaces to provide platforms to students and young researches so that they can deepen their knowledge on the interplay of ecology, economy, and society, and to act accordingly.

Economics is a political science - and has tremendous political power. Anyone who wants to be accepted into the circle of economic experts must demonstrate their "love of the market". Economists always vote for, never against, the economization of our lives. This one-sidedness is a completely untenable state of affairs. The call for genuine plurality of scholarly opinion is of great political relevance and, in our times of looming climate catastrophe, serious inequality in favour of the holders of net asset positions and pandemic-induced disruptions, more justified than ever.

The current education of economists is a crime against sustainability.

Already for several years, critical macrofinance has provided numerous insights on the origins of financial crises. It analyses imbalances in international credit transactions on the basis of gross capital flows between banks. This has not yet been incorporated into teaching economics; this must change.

At the netzwerk n, we are committed to a university and scientific system which takes sustainability seriously and assumes responsibility for a society viable over the long run. Therefore, (many more!) great projects like #Economists4Future are needed, which motivate people to act together with passion.

As Nelson Mandela used to say, "education is the most powerful ‘weapon' to change the world". Nowadays a narrow understanding of economic theory and management practice are predominant, while there's clear evidence that they often don't work and are not sustainable. If we want a more sustainable future for the next generations, we need to change and diversify economic theory, political economy and management principles we teach. From economics at school to executive education. That’s why we need to involve universities, business schools and training providers. It's a big step until the new theories will be consolidated and put into practice. But the trend is clearly in favour of pluralism.

We need economic sciences that no longer ignore current ecological and social issues, but critically reflect on the social consequences of their own teaching.

In times of fundamental change, the only certainty is that things will not stay the way they are. Therefore, an economic education is needed that gives students the competence to look at problems from different perspectives, with different glasses. At the Vienna University of Economics and Business, more than 2000 students per academic year are taught the basic course "Sustainable Economics" which features exactly this interdisciplinary and pluralistic approach.

We need Economists for Future because we cannot solve today's problems with yesterday's economic concepts.

Our societies face a number of complex economic, social, ecological and political challenges. Against this background, it is an urgent task for educational policy to develop a comprehensive view of these multiple and interdependent phenomena of crises, which in fact often turn out to be the result of the vulnerability of capitalist economies. The economics science, in particular, has the duty to enable their students to understand the social, political, and moral implications of economic activity.

It has long been clear that our economic narrative, which is based on competition and the maximisation of egotistical gain, only exacerbates ecological and social problems . We need to promote cooperative thinking already during basic education. The common-good-economy and the many self-directed, purpose-oriented organizations show that this works and brings more satisfaction to all people!

Since 1975, the work of the Alternative Economic Policy Group has sought to communicate to the public that the capital-favoring position which prevails in the media, can by no means claim unquestionable scientific authority. Criticism of these positions and the presentation of socio-ecological alternatives are intended to facilitate a public discussion of economic policy. At the same time, we challenge the de facto monopoly position of capital-favoring economics at universities, attempting to break through in order to promote the debate on economic theory.

In many institutions and organizations there are already people who are committed to sustainable economics, who develop and implement sustainable economic concepts, and who change teaching, thereby defying the economic mainstream. Very often these people are least likely to be found in departments of economics. Given the urgency of transforming the way we live, do business and organize our economies, much more of this is needed. This is why Economists for Future is so important.

The overdue reform of economics education, which the 'economists for future' want to promote, is also a central issue for civil society. It is not least the non-governmental organizations, citizens' initiatives, and foundations whose work opposes a total economisation of the living world. This economization under the flag of neoliberalism must not remain the unreflected credo with which students of economics enter professional life.

We believe that education is one of the main keys to shaping a sustainable world. This education, however, needs reshaping as well, as it is not adapted to - and does not tackle - today and tomorrow's world challenges. Our aim is to use the great potential of the academic world, with all its stakeholders, to empower and nurture the next generations to rethink these challenges and provide real, long-term and lasting sustainable solutions. That is the reason why this call is a crucial step to take, to allow this potential to be effectively put to the right use in economics and management.

The economy is not governed by natural laws, but a social process that can be shaped by people. In the face of numerous crises, we are now called upon to widen our imagination in order to steer this process in a responsible, just and sustainable direction. I am delighted that more and more Economists for Future emerge and organise themselves to take on this task. As Cusanus Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung we are certainly part of it!