Explore the implications of reframing economic problems as matters of intentional design rather than immutable laws. How does this conceptual shift challenge economic fatalism and support the specific proposals for redesigning the sources of wealth discussed in Chapter 5?

Examine Raworth’s use of metaphors to contrast 20th- and 21st-century economic thinking, focusing on the shift from a mechanical to an organic worldview. Analyze how the metaphors of the economist as a gardener, the economy as a butterfly, and progress as a kite-surfer work together to support the text’s themes.

How does Raworth’s critique of Homo economicus as a self-fulfilling prophecy in Chapter 3 inform an alternative approach to policymaking designed to avoid “crowding out” intrinsic motivations?

Raworth engages with numerous historical economists to either critique or reinterpret their work. Analyze her treatment of figures like Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and Simon Kuznets. How does she use their theories and arguments to strengthen her own?

Drawing on the work of Elinor Ostrom, Raworth reintroduces the commons as a vital realm of provisioning. Discuss the strategic importance of this move in her overall argument and explain how revitalizing the concept of the commons helps challenge the state-versus-market binary.

How does the book’s structure, which systematically replaces seven outdated ideas with new alternatives, function as a rhetorical device to persuade the reader?

Explore the central paradox presented in Chapter 7 Summary that growth has been historically necessary to end deprivation but is now driving ecological collapse. How does Raworth’s proposal to become “growth agnostic” attempt to resolve this tension financially, politically, or socially?

Analyze how the principles of these schools of thought are integrated into her core arguments, particularly in her reconceptualization of value to include unpaid household labor and the foundational role of the biosphere.