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Lecture Series “Sustainable Debt—Debt as a Social-Ecological Medium”

The consideration of debt and its limitation is, regardless of the type of creditor, still fundamentally based on economic metrics. This distinction is already evident in the peculiar terminology of the field: When the term "debt sustainability" is employed, it does not primarily refer to the social or environmental implications associated with debt management. Conversely, the ability of the debtor to meet outstanding financial obligations is the exclusive concern.

This purely economic conception of debt is an essential driver of unsustainable development. The driving out of other social rationalities has contributed to financial instability, ecologically unsustainable growth, and social inequality.

This lecture series will explore recent developments in debt management that point to a "sustainability turn" in the field. Each lecture will focus on a recent episode in which social or environmental rationalities not only justify the use of a particular debt management tool, but are also employed for a reconceptualization of debt: The CANCELLATION OF STUDENT LOAN DEBT responds to the intertwined structural problems of debt and social justice. PRIORITIZING ECOLOGICAL DEBT holds the potential to constitute green credit markets. And SWAPPING SOVEREIGN DEBT FOR NATURE promises a notorious triple win for creditors, debtor countries and the protection of biodiversity.

Time & Place

20.01.2025 | 16:00 c.t. - 18:00

Hörsaal III,
Van't-Hoff-Str. 8

And hybrid