Beyond Left and Right: Building a New Economy in Uncertain Times
For over a century, economic debate has been framed as a choice between two dominant approaches: government-controlled systems on one side, and so-called free markets largely shaped by concentrated economic power on the other. While these models differ in structure and ideology, a growing number of people are recognizing a shared reality: neither approach is adequately meeting the needs of large segments of humanity, nor addressing the ecological limits of the planet.
We are living through a period of overlapping economic, social, and environmental uncertainty. Rising inequality, ecological degradation, technological disruption, and fragile supply systems expose the limitations of existing frameworks—regardless of where they fall on the traditional left-right spectrum.
This conference starts from the understanding that the challenges of our time require new economic thinking. Beyond inherited political categories, we ask more fundamental questions: How can economic systems be designed to meet human needs, strengthen communities, and operate within planetary boundaries? What new forms of ownership, cooperation, and governance can support both human well-being and long-term sustainability?
“Beyond Left and Right“ is an invitation to explore emerging ideas and practical pathways toward an economy fit for the realities of the 21st century.
WHERE
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Dubois Center
320 E 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Saturday, January 17, 2026
8:00 am to 3:30 pm
$25 Students; $50 non-students
Conference scholarships available
Content
Universal Healthcare for All
Higher Education for All
Housing for All
Rational Distribution of Wealth
Maximum Utilization of all Resources
Cooperatives (Community Wealth Building)
- Neohumanism (Love for All)
- Economic Democracy
End Poverty (Jobs for All)
Living Wage (Purchasing Power)
Reduced working hours for Self Care
Moral Leadership and Soul
Earth’s minerals are shared wealth
Public and Cooperative Banking
Speakers
Dr. Sohail Inayatullah, Ph.D.
Professor Sohail Inayatullah, a political scientist, is the UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies at the Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability and Humanity, IIUM, Malaysia. He is also a Professor at Tamkang University, Taipei (Graduate Institute of Futures Studies) and an Associate, Melbourne Business School, The University of Melbourne. From 2016 – 2020 he was the UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies at USIM, Malaysia. From 2001-2020, he was an Adjunct Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. From 2011-2014, he was Adjunct Professor at the Centre for policing, counterterrorism and intelligence, Macquarie University, Sydney. In 1999, he was the UNESCO Chair in European Studies at the University of Trier, Germany. He is listed in the top two percent of the world’s scientists as measured by the highest impact of citations.
Rickey Hall
Rickey Hall is the embodiment of a Neighborhood Champion—an unwavering advocate whose leadership has shaped and uplifted the West Boulevard community for decades. A lifelong resident of the corridor, Hall’s deep roots in the neighborhood fuel his commitment to equity, access, and self-determination. As a leader within the West Boulevard Coalition, he has worked tirelessly to address systemic challenges, most notably the area’s long-standing status as a food desert. After years of unfulfilled promises from major grocery chains, Hall and his neighbors took matters into their own hands, planting the seed for what would become the Three Sisters Market—a community-owned grocery store built by and for the people it serves. His vision is grounded in lived experience and a belief that every neighborhood deserves dignity, resources, and opportunity. Whether advocating for mobility improvements, organizing community events, or mentoring the next generation, Rickey Hall’s work is a testament to the power of grassroots leadership and the enduring spirit of West Charlotte.
Janiqua Jackson
Janiqua Jackson is a dedicated advocate for community empowerment and food justice. With over 20 years of experience in the grocery retail industry, she has held various leadership roles, including General Manager of Urban Greens Food Co-Op in Providence, Rhode Island. Her expertise in the food cooperative model and her passion for serving underserved communities have made her a trailblazer in her field.
In 2024, Janiqua returned to Charlotte, North Carolina, to lead the development of the Three Sisters Market, a community-owned food cooperative in the West Boulevard corridor. This initiative aims to address food insecurity in an area that has lacked a full-service grocery store for over 30 years. As General Manager, Janiqua is committed to creating a sustainable, inclusive food system that uplifts the local community.
Janiqua’s work is driven by her belief in the power of collective action and her dedication to dismantling food apartheid. Her leadership at Three Sisters Market is not just about providing fresh and affordable food but also about fostering a sense of community and economic empowerment.
Dr. Gregory Allen McPherson, DM
Dr. Gregory Allen McPherson is a recent Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and 2025 recipient of the Quincy Jones Global Leadership & Humanitarian Award . He has distinguished himself as a major figure in the entertainment industry. His works are recordings that have won Grammys, Oscars, NAACP Image Awards, American Music Awards, Emmys, ASCAP & BMI Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Grammy Legends Awards, and more. His classical works have been performed by the Florida Symphony, The Carolina Philharmonic, The Dallas Symphony, The Atlanta Symphony, The Charleston Symphony Orchestra, The Boston Ballet, The Louisville Orchestra, The Alabama Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Baltimore Philharmonic Orchestra, The Boston Pops Orchestra and The New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He produced records for CBS, RCA, Quincy Jones’ QWEST Records, BMG, MCA, Elektra, Capitol, Arista, SONY, Atlantic, Polygram, Warner Brothers, Motown, EPIC, Disney, PBS, ABC-Disney, Sony Pictures. Dr. McPherson taught at the University of South Florida, Texas College, Washington State University, Alabama State University, The University of Massachusetts, Boston College, Harvard University and Kobe University. He is a recipient of several Honorary Doctoral Degrees, and the Doctor of Music Degree (honoris causa).
Ame T. Johnson
Ame T. Johnson is the Founder, Director and CEO of Sadvipra Internationale. She has been a spiritual advisor for the last 46 years. She speaks 5 languages and worked extensively in different countries of Asia, South America and the Caribbean. She was born and raised in Maharlika (Philippines) till the age of 24 before traveling abroad. She started and administered 5 preschools and a Children’s home and travelled extensively to remote towns and cities and witnessed abject poverty of different communities. An undeterred advocate of the social and spiritual works of P.R.Sarkar, she embraces the ideals of Neohumanism and Universal Fraternity. To her, what matters most is the peace and spiritual happiness of all beings without regard to nation, language.and culture.
Her current call is “Build character and Lead” and “Unite all Beings under One banner” – Humanity is One and Indivisible, do not try to divide it”. A song writer and singer, she invites everyone to learn the 5018 Songs of the New Dawn (Prabhat Samgiita).and work to end the suffering of Humanity at Large.
Dr. Steven Landau, MD
Steven Landau is President of Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team USA, and Instructor of Yoga & Intuitional Sciences at Neohumanist College of Asheville. Steven Landau is a Senior Acarya (One who teaches by his conduct) in the Ananda Marga system, and has published his own research showing how yoga practice and education reduces re-incarceration rate in prisoners with felony records. He plays 10 musical instruments and speaks 5 languages. He is a semi-retired Board-Certified Family Practitioner and is currently doing disability physicals for Veterans and Social Security applicants.
Dr. Ravi Batra, Ph.D.
Ravi Batra is an Indian-American economist, author, and professor at Southern Methodist University. Batra is the author of six bestselling books, two of which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with one (The Great Depression of 1990) reaching No. 1 in late 1987. His books center on his idea that financial capitalism breeds excessive inequality and political corruption, which inevitably succumbs to financial crisis and economic depression. In his works, Batra proposes an equitable distribution system known as Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout) as a means to not only ensure material welfare but also to secure the ability of all to develop a full personality.
Japa Buckner
I am a retired Waldorf Educator. I am currently a Board Member and Trustee Emeritus of the Waldorf School of Louisville, for which I was a founding teacher over 30 years ago. I have also been a member of anti-violence, peace-building coalitions in Louisville. I am a former President of the Interfaith Paths to Peace Coalition.
I’ve been a member of various Social Activist organizations in my adult life. I am currently the Prout Alliance Steering Committee Secretary. An essential part of my social activism is spiritual practice. After completing military service in the United States Navy, I embraced meditation and supportive practices to heal and serve the well-being of all.
Dr. Howard Nemon, Ph.D.
Howard is the Co-Founder and Director of the Prama Institute & Wellness Center, a holistic conference and retreat center located in Marshall, NC (USA). Howard received his PhD in Social Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania and has taught community practice and international sustainable development at George Mason University and Warren Wilson College. From 2012 to 2020, he was the Director of the Center for Local Economies, a community-based research and advocacy organization that developed new economic solutions. He is an active member of the Prout Alliance, a US-based collaborative which promotes Prout policies and activism.
Dada Maheshvarananda
Dada Maheshvarananda was active in the protests against the Vietnam War. In 1978 he traveled to India and Nepal where he became a yogic monk and studied the Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout) under its founder, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. He has taught meditation and organized for social justice for 14 years in Southeast Asia, three years in Europe and 21 years in Brazil and Venezuela. He is the author of six books, including After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action (InnerWorld, 2013) and Cooperative Games for a Cooperative World: Facilitating Trust, Communication and Spiritual Connection (InnerWorld, 2017). He is co-author with Mirra Price of Tools to Change the World (Proutist Universal – Copenhagen, 2019). He has given hundreds of seminars and workshops around the world at international conferences, colleges, high schools, cooperatives, yoga centers and prisons about social activism and spiritual transformation. He is now the president and director of the Prout Research Institute in Asheville, North Carolina.
Walt McRee
Walt McRee has held leadership roles with PBI and the public banking movement since its earliest years. In addition to serving as Chair and President (2015-2017), Board Director, and Senior Advisor, Walt has been centrally involved as co-founder and director of other public banking initiatives including the Pennsylvania Project and Banking On New Jersey. Following an extensive national media career, Walt created, produced and co-hosted radio and TV programs for public banking including, “It’s Our Money with Ellen Brown” on the Progressive Radio Network as well as “Public Bank Solution” TV series. Following his initial period as PBI Chair, Walt founded Public Banking Associates, a national consultancy of public banking experts helping legislators and policy professionals address creation of their own public banks. Walt has also held founding leadership positions in other public interest issues including world hunger, the environment, public broadcasting and the arts. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Geography from Valparaiso University.
Organizers
Tabling Organizations
About Us (Prout Research Institute Asheville)
We are a collective of activists, educators, and cooperative developers promoting solutions for economic systems change. We host educational trainings and seminars around the Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout), and develop research and practical policies for new economies that help everyone thrive.
Tel. 336-567-6912