Library

Scientific paper • 2014

100% Money and Vollgeld, no Solution for a Stationary Economy

Abstract: In the post-growth debate a rising number of authors advocate for monetary reforms, which intention is to prevent banks from deposit creation and establishes the central bank as the sole issuer of money. This paper examines the expected macroeconomic consequences and reviews the proclaimed benefits. In the analysis, I consider especially the assertions of authors, who argue that such...

Scientific paper • 2014

Interdependencies between Ethnic Inequality and the Success of Climate Change Policy Making – the Case of Guyana

By: Constanze Weiske

Abstract: Global climate change is the most pressing environmental issue the world society has to tackle in this day and age. Although the international Framework Convention on Climage Change (UNFCCC) has been established in 1992 in order to mitigate climate change, substantial progress is not made yet. In order to identify the reasons for that unsatisfactory situation, researchers has mainly...

Scientific paper • 2014

(Re)Productivity in a Perspective of Material Feminism

By: Carla Wember, Suse Brettin

Abstract: In order to strive towards a more sustainable society, it is important to reconsider the relationships between culture (thus economy) and nature which implies questioning powerful dichotomization and hierarchization that are structuring western societies. The idea of nature as a mere resource for the exploits of mankind has led to crisis-laden phenomena as well as the naturalized...

Scientific paper • 2014

Post Growth City - the role of the Transition Town movement and urban planning (a case study in Bielefeld)

By: Janina Westerkowski

post growth city, urban planning, transition town movement, Scenarios and models of a post-growth economy

Scientific paper • 2014

Information technology, decoupling and networked commons - a conceptual overview

By: Till Westermayer

Abstract: Starting at the idea that information technology leads to a dematerialization of economy and thus to a decoupling between growth and material, environmental impacts and resource use, the paper discusses various concepts related to this idea, loosely following the framework of first, second and third order effects (Hilty 2008). It comes to the conclusion that information technology,...

Scientific paper • 2014

Principles for Institutional Design of Future Degrowth Eco-sustainable Societies

By: Richard Westra

Abstract: The “end of growth” still leaves questions for the design of future sustainable societies. The argument of this paper is that economic choices for the new societies are not unlimited and forms of economy cannot simply be conjured up ex nihilo. Anthropologist David Graeber, economic historian Karl Polanyi and political economist Karl Marx each have produced typologies of possible types...

Scientific paper • 2014

Questions of good life - some reflections with regard to the Swiss society

By: Dietmar Wetzel

Abstract: This contribution attempts to raise some conceptual reflections about the debate with regard to the conditions of an embodiment of the “good life” into social movements, especially with regard to the situation in Switzerland. Although we find – in comparison with other countries – in Switzerland a very rich und prosperous society, there are emerging alternative life forms which are no...

Scientific paper • 2014

No good life in a bad life? – Experiences of degrowth-orientated actors in a growth economy

By: Jasmin Wiefek, Bernd Sommer

Bottom-up initiatives, Organization of businesses, Conditions for degrowth, Productivity beyond growth

Scientific paper • 2014

Transforming Education in the Degrowth Society

By: Martina Wildau

Integrated education – human values – university as role-model – awareness – spirituality

Scientific paper • 2014

Post-Development concepts? Buen Vivir, Ubuntu and Degrowth

By: Aram Ziai

Abstract: The paper links the academic debate about Post-Development approaches in development theory with the political and philosophical concepts of Buen Vivir, Ubuntu and Degrowth and asks to what extent the latter can be seen as PD concepts, as manifestations of PD in different cultural contexts. The examination yields that Buen Vivir undoubtedly qualifies as a PD concept, but Ubuntu and...

Scientific paper • 2014

Degrowth as a path for a country at a crossroad?

By: Lidija Zivcic

Abstract: Dealing with economic crisis, systemic corruption and citizen’s apathy, Slovenia is desperately trying to make a good move, yet it seems to be unable to resolve its problems. Such a situation is normally a good moment to stop and rethink one’s approaches; this is what Slovenia tried to do by starting a consultation process on Strategy of development of Slovenia in 2012. However, the...

Scientific paper • 2014

On the effectiveness of grassroots movements and civil disobedience for the global North's transition toward a sustainable quasi steady-state world economy

By: Jan C. Zoellick

Abstract: This essay summarises a widespread critique of “sustainable growth” from the perspective of peak everything. By doing so, this essay adds peak waste capacity to the discussion as another important limiting factor to human economic growth. Assuming all mentioned peaks to occur under continued sustainable growth the “ability of future generations to meet their own needs”...

Scientific paper • 2014

Learning and building knowledge for degrowth: communities of practice and peer production across scales and beyond roles

By: Gualter Barbas Baptista

communities of practice, nowtopias, peer production, postnormal science, open knowledge

Scientific paper • 2014

Neoclassical, post-Keynesian and neo-Marxian perspectives on degrowth

By: Steffen Lange

Abstract: The question, how an economy can be organized without growth has received little attention from many strands of macroeconomics. In this paper I investigate this question, from the point of view of three prominent strands of macroeconomic theories: neoclassical, post-Keynesian and neo-Marxian approaches. The view of neoclassical theories is, that we need a different technological...

Misc • 2014

Zeitwohlstand

By: Friederike Habermann, Niko Paech, Hartmut Rosa, Frigga Haug, Lena Kirschenmann, Felix Wittmann

Herausgeber_innen: Was bedeutet Wohlstand, wenn wir über immer mehr Dinge verfügen, jedoch über immer weniger Zeit? Wieso haben alle immer Zeit für Erwerbsarbeit aber nicht für andere wichtige Tätigkeiten? Wie ermöglichen wir allen Menschen ein gutes Leben und achten gleichzeitig die ökologischen Grenzen unseres Planetens? Im Buch Zeitwohlstand geht es um diese und andere Fragen rund um die...

Misc • 2014

Gutes Leben statt Wachstum: Degrowth, Klimagerechtigkeit, Subsistenz – eine Einführung in die Begriffe und Ansätze der Postwachstumsbewegung

By: Matthias Schmelzer

Knapper Überblick über unterschiedliche Strömungen die es in der deutschsprachigen wachstumskritischen Szene und der Postwachstumsbewegung gibt.

Misc • 2014

“Wachstumsrücknahme”, “Postwachstum”, “Entwachsen”? An introduction to concepts and approaches of the German degrowth movement.

By: Matthias Schmelzer

Rough sketch of different currents of the Germans-speaking growth critical scene and degrowth movement.

Misc • 2014

Gut Leben. Eine Gesellschaft jenseits des Wachstums.

By: Barbara Muraca

„Gut Leben“ bietet einen guten Einstieg in die Postwachstums- oder Degrowth-Debatte. Barbara Muraca beschreibt den internationalen Degrowth-Diskurs und verbindet diesen mit den deutschen Postwachstumsansätzen. Sie zeigt auf, dass zu „gut leben“ Solidarität, Selbstbestimmung und Freiheit gehören. Wichtig für sie ist auch eine feministische Perspektive, die das Ganze der Arbeit in den Blick nimmt...

Art contribution • 2014

Democracy

By: Degrowth Conference 2014

In the run-up to the conference monthly videos were published on the conference homepage, dealing with different aspects of degrowth.

Art contribution • 2014

Resistance

By: Degrowth Conference 2014

In the run-up to the conference monthly videos were published on the conference homepage, dealing with different aspects of degrowth.