Degrowth
An economic and political movement advocating for a planned reduction of production and consumption to achieve ecological sustainability and improve well-being.
Also known as: Décroissance, Post-Growth, Steady-State Economy
Category: Business & Economics
Tags: economics, sustainability, environment, politics, well-being
Explanation
Degrowth (French: 'décroissance') is a movement and body of thought that challenges the fundamental assumption underlying modern economics: that perpetual economic growth is desirable, necessary, and compatible with ecological limits. Proponents argue that on a finite planet, infinite growth is physically impossible, and that the pursuit of GDP growth drives environmental destruction, resource depletion, and does not improve well-being beyond a certain threshold.
The intellectual roots trace to Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen's work on entropy and economics in the 1970s, the Club of Rome's 'Limits to Growth' report (1972), and ecological economist Herman Daly's concept of a steady-state economy. The modern degrowth movement emerged in France in the early 2000s and has since become an active area of academic research and political activism.
Degrowth advocates propose not an unplanned recession (which causes suffering) but a deliberate, democratic transition to a smaller, more equitable economy focused on well-being rather than output. Concrete proposals include: work-sharing and shorter work weeks, maximum income ratios, community-based production, relocalizing economies, expanding commons and public services, and measuring progress through well-being indicators rather than GDP.
Critics argue that degrowth is politically impractical, that technological innovation can decouple growth from environmental impact (green growth), and that economic contraction would harm the poorest most severely. Proponents respond that green growth has not materialized at the necessary scale, that decoupling is a myth when measured in absolute terms, and that redistribution within degrowth would improve conditions for the majority. Regardless of one's position, degrowth raises essential questions about the relationship between economic activity, ecological limits, and human flourishing.
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