Evolutionary Economics, Mobility Scores, and the Global Black Experience

This lecture examines global Black economic mobility through the lens of evolutionary economics, challenging dominant democratic-capitalist and extractive economic models that have historically distorted how Black progress is measured, financed, and governed.

Rather than relying solely on Western indicators such as GDP growth, income quartiles, or individual wealth accumulation, the lecture introduces mobility scores as a multidimensional framework for assessing how Black people move—or are structurally constrained—across economic, social, environmental, and political systems globally. These scores account for factors often excluded from traditional economic analysis, including land access, environmental exposure, governance quality, diaspora status, intergenerational transfer, and institutional trust.

Drawing on environmental science, political economy, and transdisciplinary data from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Americas, the lecture demonstrates how extractive systems suppress adaptive capacity while evolutionary economic systems prioritize resilience, local value retention, regenerative capital flows, and collective advancement.

Participants will gain:

• A clear distinction between extractive, democratic-capitalist, and evolutionary economic systems

• An understanding of how mobility is shaped by systems—not individual effort alone

• A framework for evaluating Black economic progress beyond Western benchmarks

• Practical implications for policy, investment, diaspora engagement, and institutional reform

This lecture is designed for policymakers, investors, scholars, diaspora leaders, and practitioners seeking to advance economic models that support long-term Black mobility, sovereignty, and systemic resilience.

Presenter: Dr. Ashley D. Milton, holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science & Policy, She confidently tackles intricate business challenges in African markets by developing pragmatic solutions that drive corporate growth while preserving ecosystems. As the Founder and Managing Director of She Grows It - a full-service business consulting and investment migration advisory firm, she crafts strategic roadmaps, embedding Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) metrics into business strategies, exemplifying her strong passion to fostering a greener future. Her diverse influence extends from tourism and hospitality to the agricultural sector, where she has championed community resilience and green infrastructure development projects. As Director of the Informal-to-Formal Working Group in Ghana, she spearheaded development of influential investment and tax-compliance policies, using a citizen science approach to inject resources necessary for national development. Her research on forest resilience, ecosystem services, and valuation of non-timber forest products has enriched the academic sphere and contributed to practical solutions for monetizing the preservation of natural resources.

This will be a virtual program on Saturday, February 28th, 2026

11am - 1:00pm

Please register in advance. You will receive a Reminder by 9 am on the day of the presentation with the ZOOM login link/info for the event.  If you register on the day of, you will receive the login link/info at that time.