Library

Misc • 2016

Accelerationism… and Degrowth? The Left’s Strange Bedfellows

Over a year ago I lived in Barcelona, where I was lucky enough to witness a social movement—in large part fuelled by cooperatives, squats, and other autonomous spaces—win the mayoral elections. I had spent the year being involved with a group that studies and advocates ‘degrowth’—the idea that we must downscale production and consumption to have a more equitable society, and that we therefore...

Report • 2016

Demain / Tomorrow

By: Mélanie Laurent, Cyril Dion, Bruno Levy

demain-lefilm.com: Showing solutions, telling a feel-good story… this may be the best way to solve the ecological, economical and social crises that our countries are going through. After a special briefing for the journal Nature announced the possible extinction of a part of mankind before the end of the 21st century, Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent, together with a team of four people, carried...

Scientific paper • 2016

Growth, degrowth, and the challenge of artificial superintelligence

By: Salvador Pueyo

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Singularity; Limits to growth; Ecological economics; Evolutionary economics; Futures studies

Misc • 2016

The Real Utopia

By: Brototi Roy

From the text: . . . According to the definition given by Suvin, degrowth is a utopia because it wishes to repoliticize the debate on socio-ecological transformation to form a society with better institutions, norms and individual relationships. Degrowth also fits with Bloch’s definition of Utopia because it wishes to go beyond the natural march of events today, which is that of the capitalist...

Scientific paper • 2016

Commoning against the crisis

By: A.Varvarousis

Plan C&D - Commons & Democracy – has been proposed as an alternative to austerity and stimulus for a degrowth future, but how and why does it emerge, and what challenges does it face? The proposed paper studies new commons in the context of crisis, using Greece as a case-study. Our research registered a substantial increase of commoning in health care, food provision, urban living,...

Scientific paper • 2016

De-growth, pro what? – Backcasting a sustainable society without economic growth

By: Liisa Haapanen

The positive vision of green growth and the negative outlook of a recession are the prevailing images of future for a growth-centred society. They are challenged by various alternative views of a post-growth society. The purpose of this paper is to specify and elaborate the desired future end-states and scenarios put forward in contemporary growth critique. A literature review of the following...

Scientific paper • 2016

Engaging with the Plutocene: moving toward degrowth and post-capitalist futures

By: Kristoffer Wilén, Marko Ulvila

In our study, we take a closer look at the ‘Anthropos’ (i.e. the humans) who have caused the processes and changes in the environments, which then have led to the “Anthropocene”. The “Anthropocene” narrative is predominantly presented as something that the entire humankind, the human species, is responsible for. But what happens when you apply a class perspective to the analysis? Hence, we will...

Scientific paper • 2016

From societal stupidity to the future based on wisdom enhancing ties between individuals

By: Olli Tammilehto

The global growth society is rapidly destroying its ecological base and consequently also itself. Crushing one's own foundation is surely a mark of stupidity. The madness in question, however, is of societal quality, not reducible to the properties of individuals. On the contrary, according to many opinion polls individual human beings widely recognize the absurdity of economic growth and the...

Scientific paper • 2016

Polanyi, historical lessons, future challenges, semiperiphery

By: Gareth Dale

Gareth Dale reflects on how the lessons from history of the semi-periphery can be used for degrowth of tomorrow. Drawing from his understanding of the work of Karl Polanyi, Gareth will try to sketch Polanyi’s answers for the currently open degrowth challenges and issues raised at the conference. This media entry was a contribution to the special session „Polanyi, historical lessons, future...

Scientific paper • 2016

Scenarios of energetic and societal transitions: potentials and impacts of a sustainable regional economic system

By: Mathieu Le Dû

In 2012, the NGO Virage-énergie Nord-Pas de Calais started a research project focused on energetic, societal and economic transitions within the Nord-Pas de Calais region in France, in partnership with two academic laboratories: TVES (University of Lille 1 - Science and Technologies) and Ceraps (University of Lille 2 - Health and Law). The aim of this research was to evaluate, using data models...

Scientific paper • 2016

Strategies for degrowth in a Nordic context

By: Karin Bradley, Erika Öhlund, Alexander Paulsson, Tuuli Hirvilammi, Paavo Järvensivu

This session explores strategies for futures beyond growth in the context of the Nordic welfare states, reflecting a growing public interest, and ongoing academic research projects that critically examine current growth paradigms. Degrowth has been described as not primarily driven by the government, but rather evolving through grassroots movements. Nordic models of a strong welfare...

Scientific paper • 2016

Water, Traditional Cultures and a Degrowth Future

By: Rajni Bakshi

Water, Traditional Cultures and a Degrowth Future: the quest for a steady-state economy By Rajni Bakshi Degrowth as a concept does not sit well in most societies today. But water is a key to fostering new imaginaries and new visions that will be not merely acceptable but inviting. By 2040 an estimated 33 countries, including USA, China and India, will face severe water scarcity. India has a...

Scientific paper • 2016

Degrowth and techno-business model innovation: The case of Riversimple

By: PeterWells

Automobility Degrowth Small scale Corporate governance Car industry Technological innovation

Scientific paper • 2015

Imaginaries of Hope: The Utopianism of Degrowth

By: Giorgos Kallis, Hug March

economic growth, limits, scarcity, scale, utopias

Interview • 2015

Redaktionskonferenz - Dein unbekannter Zweitjob

By: Andrea Vetter, Sven Preger

Teil der Sendung ist Andrea Vetter. Im Interview mit Sven Preger spricht sie über Konviviale Technik. Über die Fragen was ist Konvivialität und wann ist Technik konvivial? In welchem Kontext? Über unser Menschen Bild und das Mensch sein. Und zuletzt über die Rolle, die konviviale Technik in Zukunft spielen kann oder sollte. Am 27.8.2015, Minute 16:26 bis 24:00

Report • 2015

Degrowth – Weniger Wachstum für eine bessere Zukunft

By: KiKa

Die Wachstumslogik wird vereinfacht erklärt, Konsumieren und Wegwerfen wird thematisiert und kritisiert. Der Moderator Felix besucht das Ökodorf 7 Linden und berichtet dort von Landwirtschaft und gemeinschaftlichem Leben. Zum Ende der Sendung geht es um "Turbo" Pflanzen, Internet-Shopping und Roboter, wodurch die Sendung am Ende am Degrowth Gedanken vorbei geht.

Scientific paper • 2015

The Trouble with Growth

By: Tim Jackson, Peter A. Victor

Abstract: In July 2013, a remarkable conference took place in a meeting hall of the French National Assembly in Paris. Current and former government ministers from France, Sweden, Greece, Spain, and Brazil, under the aegis of the president of France, François Hollande, met to explore nothing less than modern economic heresy: the abandonment of governments’ longstanding commitment to continuous...

Misc • 2015

An opportunity for “Generation Europe XXI” in (re)claiming public spaces in Europe – Degrowth Perspectives

By: Manon Dervin

From the article: . . . In a world of – and in – crisis, being inspired by Degrowth’ ideas, it would supposed to studying the possible perspectives and the role of the Youth in a decolonization of imaginaries (Serge Latouche)[1] which would push us outside our cultural, religious, historic zone of comfort. How to reinforced links rather than to create goods in a world entered the digital era,...

Report • 2015

Entschleunigung - Die Welt ist mir zu viel

By: Julia Friedrichs

Untertitel: Und ich selbst bin mir genug. Warum viele Menschen sich heute vor allem für Stressabbau und Handarbeit interessieren – statt für die drängenden Fragen der Gegenwart. Artikel über eine wachsende Entscheunigungs und Achsamkeitsbewegung und woher der Wunsch nach Rückzug, Ruhe und Stabilität kommt. Laut der Autorin durch immer größere Instabilität und Beschleunigung. Im Artikel wird...

Presentation • 2015

Bahro - Harich – Havemann

By: Alexander Amberger

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung: Die Grenzen ungebremsten Wirtschaftswachstums wurden nach 1970 auch von der DDR-Opposition diskutiert. Im Ergebnis entstanden u.a. drei Öko-Utopien, die bei aller Sperrigkeit erstaunlich relevante Fragen aufwerfen: Wolfgang Harichs «Kommunismus ohne Wachstum?» (1975), Rudolf Bahros «Die Alternative» (1977) und Robert Havemanns «Morgen» (1980). (Aufgenommener Vortrag)