Degrowth

Not to be confused with downsizing or shrinkage.
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Degrowth is an academic and social movement critical of the concept of growth in gross domestic product as a measure of human and economic development.[1][2][3] Degrowth theory is based on ideas and research from a multitude of disciplines such as economic anthropology, ecological economics, environmental sciences, and development studies. It argues that the unitary focus of modern capitalism on growth, causes widespread ecological damage and is not necessary for the further increase of human living standards.[4][5][6] Degrowth theory has been met with both academic acclaim and considerable criticism.[7][8][9]

Degrowth theory's main argument is that an infinite expansion of the economy is fundamentally contradictory to the finiteness of material resources on Earth. It argues that economic growth measured by GDP should be abandoned as a policy objective. Policy should instead focus on economic and social metrics such as life expectancy, health, education, housing, and ecologically sustainable work as indicators of both eco-systems and human well-being.[10] Degrowth theorists posit that this may increase human living standards and ecological preservation, even while GDP slows down or decreases.[11][12][3]

Degrowth theory is highly critical of free market capitalism, and it highlights the importance of extensive public services, care work, self-organization, commons, relational goods, community, and work sharing.[13][14]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference kallis2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Schneider, François; Kallis, Giorgos; Martinez-Alier, Joan (April 2010). "Crisis or opportunity? Economic degrowth for social equity and ecological sustainability. Introduction to this special issue". Journal of Cleaner Production. 18 (6): 511–518. Bibcode:2010JCPro..18..511S. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.01.014.
  3. ^ a b Demaria, Federico; Schneider, François; Sekulova, Filka; Martinez-Alier, Joan (2013). "What is Degrowth? From an Activist Slogan to a Social Movement". Environmental Values. 22 (2): 191–215. doi:10.3197/096327113X13581561725194. JSTOR 23460978. S2CID 55888884.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference gd01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hickeletal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Kallis, Giorgos; Demaria, Federico; d'Alisa, Giacomo (2015). "Degrowth". International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. pp. 24–30. doi:10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.91041-9. ISBN 978-0-08-097087-5.
  7. ^ "Degrowth: what's behind this economic theory and why it matters today". World Economic Forum. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  8. ^ Horowitz, Julia (13 November 2022). "To save the world, does the economy need to stop growing?". CNN.
  9. ^ Bokat-Lindell, Spencer (16 September 2021). "Opinion | Do We Need to Shrink the Economy to Stop Climate Change?". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Nelson, Anitra (2024-01-31). "Degrowth as a Concept and Practice: Introduction". The Commons Social Change Library. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  11. ^ Hickel, Jason (2021). Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World. National Geographic Books. pp. 170–179. ISBN 978-1-78609-121-5.
  12. ^ Akbulut, Bengi (2 January 2021). "Degrowth". Rethinking Marxism. 33 (1): 98–110. doi:10.1080/08935696.2020.1847014. S2CID 232116190.
  13. ^ Demaria, Federico; Kothari, Ashish; Salleh, Ariel; Escobar, Arturo; Acosta, Alberto (2019). Pluriverse. A Post-Development Dictionary. New Delhi: Tulika Books. ISBN 9788193732984.
  14. ^ "What is degrowth?". degrowth.info. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2020.