The Gower Initiative is an independent, non-profit organisation which is part of a growing international movement which challenges the economic orthodoxy of the last four decades. We are supported by distinguished economists and many other experts who have played a vital role in offering advice and guidance in the development of this project.
The Initiative was founded by a group of five women with a keen interest in politics and economics, but from a lay perspective rather than an academic one. We came together from different directions but with a common understanding that the dominant economics of our day is deeply flawed. It fails to address questions of real resources and the impact of government policy on people’s lives.
We believe that a good economic system should consider the effects of policy as an integral part of the design, not as an afterthought.
Our personal studies have brought us together as proponents of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). It is, fundamentally, a system which looks at the interrelationships between different sectors of the economy, which integrates money creation into the system and which considers government economic policy in relation to the world’s real resources: the planet and its people.
An awareness of MMT as a lens for understanding the economy is growing around the world. As the Gower Initiative our purpose is to offer a UK portal for that understanding.
Our website will offer information from a beginner’s level through to books, videos and contact with academics around the world who are offering their support for our project.
We aim to develop those international links whilst broadening awareness that economics has higher priorities than balancing the books and that a government’s budget does not, in any way, resemble that of a household – a belief that has held sway in the UK for far too long.
Our Team
Sara Holland is GIMMS social media lead. She came to MMT from a persistent curiosity on the back of home repossession and homelessness following the early ‘90s recessions and ERM interest rate/currency debacle. She is a carer and has worked on community youth and fundraising projects, is a keen advocate and campaigner for social housing, public services and the NHS.
Claire Jackson-Prior is GIMMS website manager. She is determined to promote an understanding of our monetary system to help return the NHS and other public services to public provision. Claire stood as the Green Party Candidate for the Sutton and Cheam Constituency in the 2017 and 2019 General Elections.
Prue Plumridge is GIMMS events facilitator. She has a particular interest in how sustainable prosperity can be delivered through a better understanding of how a modern monetary system works. In 2015 she co-organised the first official MMT event in London where Professor Bill Mitchell made a presentation then joined Ann Pettifor and Richard Murphy for a panel debate. She also organized a fringe event in Brighton in 2017 at which Professor Bill Mitchell spoke about his new book co-authored with Thomas Fazi – Reclaiming the State.
Download the GIMMS Brochure here.
The Gower Initiative for Modern Money Studies Ltd is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.