Dearest gentle reader

Compliments of the New Year.

If you sense a subtle shift from how we last left things, you are quite right. As with many beginnings, the passing of time has invited reflection and reflection, change. Welcome to Sense of Cents – version 2.0. Let’s start with some recollection.

Sense of Cents was initially established as an economic and public policy platform with a simple but firm belief; that access to clear, well-researched analysis empowers citizens to meaningfully participate in national and local development conversations. To that end, the platform published and circulated a range of think pieces, both in print and digitally, aimed at contributing to public discourse on macroeconomics, governance and policy choices shaping our societies. That phase of the journey offered invaluable exposure, learning and perspective. With it, also came pause, and in that moment came the realization that relevance and impact are not static. They must evolve with the questions of time.

Going forward, Sense of Cents is intentionally aligning its work with a broader understanding of sustainability. No – not sustainability as a narrow environmental or sector-specific concern, but sustainability as the long-term viability of our economic systems, institutions, policies and social contracts. Why, you ask?

We are living through a period where multiple pressures are converging. Environmental degradation and climate risks increasingly threaten the natural systems that underpin economic activity. Concurrently, there is a growing crisis of meaning that is visible in social fragmentation, value systems mismatch, mental health challenges and the weakening trust in institutions. These are not isolated problems, rather, are symptoms of systems designed for short term benefit. This, like many great disruptions before it, presents an opportunity to rethink how we define progress, growth and development.

As an economics and public policy platform, Sense of Cents will explore sustainability through the lenses of policy design, trade, finance, investment, governance and institutional resilience. In a world where regulatory frameworks and institutions are increasingly questioned, the growing focus on corporate sustainability and ESG considerations signals a broader reckoning. While imperfect as we are still learning, this shift reflects an urgent recognition; that economic systems cannot remain detached from social stability, environmental limitations or ethical governance. Through this new chapter, Sense of Cents seeks to contribute to that reckoning thoughtfully and constructively. This space will continue to interrogate ideas and connect dots across disciplines, always looking out for sustainability, with sense.

We hope you will read, question and reflect with us.