This article critically examines the adequacy of the gross domestic product (GDP) as the sole indicator of economic and social well-being, proposing the need to integrate more holistic approaches in development assessment. It is argued that while GDP reflects the economic capacity of a nation, it fails to address fundamental aspects such as environmental impacts, human rights and cultural variables. The adoption of gross national happiness (GNH) by countries like Bhutan and Myanmar is mentioned as a pioneering approach that evaluates the quality of life from holistic and psychological perspectives, significantly distinguishing itself from the traditional GDP. Furthermore, the human development index (HDI) is discussed as a more inclusive indicator, encompassing dimensions such as life expectancy, education and income level, thereby providing a more comprehensive metric for human progress. This approach stands in contrast to the limitations of GDP by offering a more complete picture of human development. Consequently, the article advocates for a new economic paradigm that transcends the traditional focus on GDP and seeks a more thorough and sustainable understanding of human well-being, adapting to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

In a socioeconomic situation like our current one, it is difficult to understand the future of organizations without considering social responsibility. Looking at this future with a certain guarantee of success requires looking back to learn and gather drive. This article presents the evolution of social responsibility over the last twenty-five years, analyzing international and national initiatives, legislative instruments and self-regulatory framework, progress in commitment and level of involvement of organizations, as well as the consequences of Covid-19. Important progress is noted, with organizations that are increasingly conscious of the impact of their activities, making socially responsible decisions beyond their legal obligations. However, there is still much to do in the management of a social responsibility that guarantees sustainability and sustainable development in the medium and long term.

This article analyses the connection that scientific economics has made between economic development and social sustainability. Starting from the classical idea of value in capitalism, the article reviews the main contributions that classical, neoclassical, heterodox and modern economic syntheses have made on the possibility of a socially sustainable economic development. From this review, the need to build a new sustainable value economy is identified and its main dimensions are analysed, especially the role that firms, markets and government should play. In our research on the fit between new sustainable ways of generating value and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the results obtained are unfavourable. The SDGs must substantially modify their approach and methodology to move towards a more socially sustainable economic value.

The changes in the 21st Century are constant and, within the framework of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) that we face, digitization in all the areas of organizations has an increasingly mainstream dimension, which also has an impact on people management. In this article, we review the key elements that must be considered in relation to people management and digitization, as well as the current state of the art in terms of the implementation of tools for improving our functions in the field of personal development.

This article analyses the sustainability of the monetary system, with a systemic focus based in complex thinking. This thinking is far removed from the simple and the conventional, considering not only the distinct actors involved in the system but also the relationships and interactions between them. It is a way of thinking that views systems not as static or permanent, but as dynamic equilibriums linked to adaptation and change.

Being a socio-ecological system, the monetary system is subject to the dynamic behaviour of an adaptive cycle, which in turn is part of a panarchy of systems drawn to different scales across space and time. It is only when one considers this nested network of interconnected systems that it is possible to ensure the sustainability of each system individually and of the group as a whole.

The current monopoly of money in the form of bank debt has reached a point where it is so rigid and centralized it has become unsustainable. Proof of this can be seen in the systemic crisis we are currently living in. From a systemic focus based in complex thinking, this article analyses how the introduction of complementary currencies into the monetary system is one way in which its sustainability can be improved, also contributing to the sustainability of the planetary system as a whole, both economically and environmentally.

The sustainability of the European Union depends upon reducing its structural divergences. Under this premise, and taking into account that R&D policies are key to transforming productivity in EU countries that are technologically less advanced, the European Commission obtained from each of its member states commitments regarding the efforts towards R&D (expenditure as a percentage of GDP) that they would be making by the year 2020. In this study we demonstrate the unlikelihood of these commitments being fulfilled, especially in those countries with a greater need for productive transformation, of which Spain is one example. This predicted failure is heavily influenced by the austerity measures imposed on the aforementioned countries by the very same European Commission, which resulted in major cuts in their R&D expenditure. In this context, the EU is moving towards greater degrees of divergence, generating serious doubts about its continued feasibility.