The World Capital Institute (WCI) is an independent international Think Tank whose purpose is to further the understanding and application of knowledge as the most powerful leverage of development.
NEXT EVENT
Upcoming conference in Frankfurt focusing on the three themes of Democracy, Diplomacy and Design.
Goethe University Frankfurt,
8-9 October 2026
Goethe University Frankfurt – Research, Study, Transfer
The New Club of Paris
To mark the fact that Frankfurt is this year’s ‘World Design Capital’, as well as this year’s International Book Fair, three leading institutions have come together to organise a groundbreaking conference under the title ‘Democracy – Diplomacy – Design’.
The conference will feature an equal mix of contributors and speakers from academia, politics and business. A call for papers is currently open for academic contributors, seeking scholarly contributions on a broad spectrum of current topics, focusing in particular on questions regarding the role of intellectual capital and its significance for the development of society, the role of cities and their development in the knowledge society, particularly in addressing the climate crisis, and, more generally, knowledge-based strategies for tackling the major challenges we face today in the form of a world in disarray.
REPORTS TO FOLLOW
Enhancing the role of knowledge and intellectual capital in the transition towards agriculture 4.0.
An International Conference of the Romanian Farmers’ Club, the New Club of Paris, and the World Capital Institute in Bucharest.
11 - 12 May 2026.
WCI was honoured to take part in this exciting and crucial event as we recognise the importance of Food Security matters in the context of Climate Change and look forward to future engagement by bringing knowledge to address the challenges for Romania’s future farming as it is a vital “breadbasket” for Europe and beyond” Cathy Garner and Guenter Koch: More details in WCI Europe.
New Book by Francisco Javier Carrillo!
Degrowth through Knowledge-Based Development
Social Flourishing in the Anthropocene
This book tackles the terms under which a knowledge-based society can indefinitely improve while pursuing an eco-economic steady state. In doing so, it addresses the literature gap on continued social improvement within a postgrowth economic and cultural paradigm.
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Compassionate Cities and Climate Resilence
The Compassionate Cities Initiative, developed at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), Brazil, investigates how compassion can be institutionalized as a guiding principle for urban governance in contexts of climate disruption and social inequality.
ACADEMIC REFERENCE
The conceptual foundations informing this work can be accessed here: https://periodicos.ufv.br/
We welcome academic dialogue, joint research initiatives, comparative studies, policy exchange, and collaborative partnerships with scholars, institutions, public managers, and community leaders working in: Compassionate Communities | Urban Governance | Climate Adaptation | Territorial Innovation Social Innovation in the Global South
For further information or collaboration opportunities:
Priscila Nesello | Federal University of Pelotas – Brazil
priscila.nesello@ufpel.edu.br
CLIMATE STRIPES
Representing global temperature rise over two centuries.
In 2024, the world exceeded the 1.5°C threshold for the first time in any one year.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that there is an 80% likelihood that the annual average global temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5°C for at least one of the next five years.
Check out these two groundbreaking publications:
Book
A Modern Guide to Knowledge
From Knowledge Economies to Knowledge in the Anthropocene
This book aims at providing an integrated theory of knowledge and value while facing the existential challenges of the Anthropocene.
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Book
Knowledge For The Anthropocene
A Multidisciplinary Approach
With human-induced environmental impacts disrupting human life in deeper ways and at a wider scale than anything previously experienced, this multidisciplinary book looks at the ways that current knowledge bases seem inadequate to help us deal with such realities.
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Book
City Preparedness For The Climate Crisis
A Multidisciplinary Approach
Exploring the ways that contemporary urban life takes the Holocene for granted, this multidisciplinary book warns that anthropogenic environmental impacts are on course to challenge the viability of most human settlements.
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August 15, 2025
Innovation is universally recognised as critical to drive prosperity in modern knowledge-
based economies and societies. It will be essential to address and solve the rising tide of complex...
August 15, 2025
Full recording of the webinar presented by Javier Carrillo, exploring the deep connections between Knowledge-Based Development and the urgent...
August 27, 2024
In recent years, environmental policymaking has become increasingly dominated by a single term: the...