Video Interview: David Brancaccio at the New Economics Institute Strategies for a New Economy Conference

Recorded live at the New Economics Institute Strategies for a New Economy Conference on June 9, 2012, Marketplace Economy 4.0 Special Correspondent David Brancaccio speaks about the role of media in building the New Economy. "Let's think about the future of the economy and how it might better serve more people," Brancaccio says. "So the same guy, me, who when I'm anchoring the Marketplace Morning Report is compelled to do the latest Gross Domestic Product figures, I'll also sometimes bring in alternative measures of our livelihoods, of our success, not necessarily just economic growth, so that we can have a discussion using some of these New Economy measures as part of the discussion of how the world works, of how the economy works."

In speaking about Fixing the Future, the documentary on the New Economy Movement that he recently produced, Brancaccio spotlights the work of BALLE, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, which contrasts the emerging "relationship economy" with the existing "one-night-stand economy."  As well, Brancaccio highlights a "time banking" system in Portland, Maine for swapping skills and services that he calls a "social capital generation device that forges relationships."

"People think the economy is the way it is, the way the Grand Canyon just is, but the economy isn't that way: we can make it what we want," Brancaccio concludes. "The question is, what do we want out of the economy?  And I think it's about lifting up the livelihoods of more people rather than fewer people."

Visit the Strategies for a New Economy Conference webpage for more information, including videos, resources, and a Storify timeline of tweets from the conference: http://neweconomicsinstitute.org/conference

For information on the New Economics Institute, please contact:

Carina Millstone

857.284.2915

carinamillstone@neweconomicsinstitute.org

  About The New Economics Institute   The New Economics Institute is a US organization that combines vision, theory, action, and communication to effect a transition to a new economy -- an economy that gives priority to supporting human wellbeing and Earth’s natural systems. The organization is the successor organization to the 30-year old,well-respected E.F. Schumacher Institute. The Institute is headed by newly appointed President and CEO, Dr. Robert K. Massie and currently has offices in New York City, NY, and Great Barrington, MA.   The New Economics Institute’s multidisciplinary approach employs research, applied theory, public campaigns, and educational events to describe an alternative socio-economic system that is capable of addressing the enormous challenges of our times. NEI current projects include the well-known BerkShares Local Currency Program, the Community Land Trust Program, and the Global Transition Map to a New Economy.   The New Economics Institute Board of Directors include Gar Alperovitz, Jessica Brackman, John Fullerton, Neva Goodwin, Hildegarde Hannum, Eric Harris-Braun, Dan Levinson, Bob Massie, Richard Norgaard, David Orr, Will Raap, Gus Speth, Peter Victor, Stewart Wallis, Timothy Wirth and Susan Witt.   About David Brancaccio   David Brancaccio specializes in telling stories important to our democracy and our economy through the eyes of the real people who live at the cross hairs of crucial issues. His accessible yet authoritative approach to both investigative reporting and in-depth interviewing has earned his work the highest honors in broadcast journalism, including the Peabody, the Columbia-duPont, the Emmy, and the Walter Cronkite Awards.   Leading the Economy 4.0 team as Special Correspondent at American Public Media’s daily radio program Marketplace, David explored ways to make the economy better serve more people. He served as host of Marketplace from 1993-2003 and as its London-based Europe correspondent from 1990-1993. He recently completed a special reporting project for Marketplace entitled “Robots Ate My job,” which explores the squeeze on the middle class produced by advances in technology. As the longtime host and senior editor of public television’s NOW on PBS broadcast, David brought his engaging, probing style to beats that included business and finance, the environment, national security, and human rights. His documentary film about economic alternatives entitled “Fixing the Future” will be released in 2012.   David has contributed to CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, The Nightly Business Report, the BBC, The Baltimore Sun, The Wall Street Journal, and Britain’s The Guardian. He is author of the book Squandering Aimlessly, a nationwide odyssey that speaks to Americans about money and values.