46th TB Macaulay Lecture - with Kate Raworth

The Macaulay Development Trust hosted the 46th TB Macaulay lecture with renowned economist and creator of the ‘doughnut of social and planetary boundaries’ concept, Kate Raworth, on 1 October 2025 in Edinburgh.

Presented in partnership with The James Hutton Institute, the annual lecture brought academia and the public together to focus on the critical issues facing Scotland’s land and people.

Kate is an ecological economist and creator of the Doughnut - a concept that aims to meet the needs of all people within the means of the living planet - and co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action Lab. Her internationally best-selling book Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist has been translated into over 20 languages and has been widely influential with diverse audiences, from the UN General Assembly and Pope Francis to Extinction Rebellion.

Kate is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute and Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Over the past 30 years, Kate’s career has taken her from working with micro-entrepreneurs in the villages of Zanzibar to co-authoring the Human Development Report for UNDP in New York, followed by a decade as Senior Researcher at Oxfam. She holds a first-class BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and MSc in Economics for Development, both from Oxford University and has honorary doctorates from the University of York, University College Dublin, KU Leuven, and Business School Lausanne.

Kate is best known for her unique “doughnut economics” model, which emphasises the need to balance humanity’s needs with the health of the planet. She is the author of the internationally bestselling book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist, a Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, a Senior Teaching Fellow at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, and a frequent contributor to the Guardian, New Statesman, and various TV and radio programmes.

Speaking before the lecture, Kate said: “I am honoured to have given the 2025 TB Macaulay Lecture, and look forward to sharing the concepts, tools and practice of Doughnut Economics."

Joe Moore, Chair of the Macaulay Development Trust, said: “As a country rich in both nature and resources, it’s essential for Scotland to strike a balance between aspiring to provide a high quality of life for all and at the same time protecting the environment on which that aspiration depends. We’re delighted to have an economist with Kate’s international prestige joining us to speak about Doughnut Economics."

Professor Colin Campbell, CEO at The James Hutton Institute said, "We were very excited to announce Kate as the speaker for the 46th TB Macaulay Lecture. Her understanding and experience of economics, in particular Doughnut Economics, has been thought-provoking for all in attendance."