Humanist economics: new series!

A special interest of mine in graduate school was an attempt to merge my concern for humanity in general with my concern for the economy.  Or, in other words, to think of economic needs as one of many important human needs; that human needs in general are greater than and inclusive of our material needs.

Maslow
A simple example can be drawn from Maslow's hierarchy of needs.  A psychiatrist, Abraham Maslow created a model to show universal needs at the bottom and more 'acquired' emotions toward the top.  Although Maslow never organized these needs into a pyramid, they are now popularly arranged to look something like this -

Looking at the arrangement of needs, the question is, which of these layers are provided within the economy?  Well, it depends.  The methods of production, distribution, buying, selling, and use of goods and services varies substantially between countries and time periods.  

Let's consider me, today, now.  

Looking at the bottom layer, I pay for food and water, and heat.  I also pay for shelter which provides me much needed rest.  But these are produced, distributed, bought, sold, and used within a highly regulated system.  

Take food for example.  I had oatmeal with peanut butter and frozen fruit this morning.  All of those ingredients are subject to governmental regulations which impact their quality and consistency.  Further, they are subject to governmental enforcement to ensure there is no price gouging or cartel-like behavior among the companies that distribute and sell them.  This is not to mention the water I use to microwave the oatmeal, which is subject to public regulation of water, established water rights, and the regulation of water authorities that oversee its distribution.  To the point, there is an actual sub-discipline of legal studies dedicated to water.

Working up the layers becomes even more nebulous.  The economy may be inclusive of safety needs if you consider the home security system I purchased for my house, but does not consider local police, federal domestic security forces, military, or intergovernmental military alliances.  One layer further, "Belongingness and love needs", may be aided by the use of for-profit dating services or manufacturers of romantic gifts, but not much more.  The last two layers then become quite a stretch to connect to economic needs or the economy, writ large.

In a nutshell, economic needs relate primarily to the 'basic needs' near the bottom, and become increasingly disconnected toward the top.  But for even basic needs, they are tied to governmental and legal features of society that dictate their availability.

This is not to say that economic needs, or that which is provided by the economy as a whole, is unimportant or negligible.  It's simply to say that humans are impacted by a great number of threats to our physical well-being, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization.  These threats on the outside may not appear economic, but threats to the individual impact, at a minimum, their ability to produce, consume, and trade.

Summary
When I was in graduate school, we were evaluating and comparing the macroeconomic conditions of various countries.  I remember Jamaica being raised as an example in class.  Classmates noted its inflation rate, interest rates, GDP, unemployment rate, etc.  I pointed out that Jamaica had an alarmingly high homicide rate, which stands out for a country of its size and location.  I shouldn't have been surprised that this apparently irrelevant point was met with laughter.  

In economic conversations, threats to human needs are secondary to narrow economic indicators, since heads of banks, central banks, governments, and corporations need to make frequent, immediate decisions based on the current state of the economy.  Something about the exclusion of horrors of the human experience from economic discussions feels inherently wrong.  Human tragedies, like war, natural disasters, state collapse, and disease, are not minor threats that can rise to the level of economic consideration.  Finding and explaining how they are connected and why they should be prioritized feels more significant and immediate.  

Here's hoping this series will explore what is known in this area and how understanding the threats to people is a threat to material progress.