Library

An unflinching claim to achieve postcapitalism : A way forward

By: Tejendra Pratap Gautam

A review of Nelson, A. (2022). Beyond Money: A Postcapitalist Strategy. Pluto Press.

Understanding the organisational dynamics and ethos of local degrowth cooperatives

By: Giovanni Cunico, Sebastiaan Deuten, I-Chun Huang

Misc • 2020

Degrowth Vienna 2020 - Theories of Transformation

By: Max Koch, Andro Rilović, Julia Tschersich, Mira Pütz

Standard session (discussion following 4 presentations) Structure, Action and Change: A Bourdieusian Perspective on the Preconditions for a Degrowth transition - video A deprioritization of economic growth in policy making in the rich countries will need to be part of a global effort to re-embed economy and society into planetary boundaries. However, societal support for a degrowth...

Presentation • 2020

Degrowth Vienna 2020 - Anarchism and degrowth: two sides of the same coin

By: Andro Rilović

Presentation [part of the standard session "Theories of Transformation"] This paper will demonstrate why, when envisaging degrowth transitions and strategies for achieving them, it is essential to seriously engage with arguments concerning the limitations of the State in enacting radical systemic change, emanating from the long and fruitful history of anarchist thought. Presenters: Andro...

Scientific paper • 2019

Activities of degrowth and political change

By: Pasi Heikkurinen, Pierre Tosi, Jana Lozanoska

Abstract: Hannah Arendt's three-fold conceptualization of human activity offers a useful base for understanding the necessity of degrowth and the kinds of activities required to achieve it. The article argues that the different roles of labour, work, and action should be acknowledged and scrutinized in detail to appreciate the underpinnings of contemporary over-production and over-consumption,...

Scientific paper • 2019

Crisis, liminality and the decolonization of the social imaginary

By: Angelos Varvarousis

Abstract: The decolonization of the social imaginary has been proposed as an important dimension of the transition towards a degrowth society. However, although omnipresent in the degrowth literature, the terms “social imaginary” and “social imaginary significations” have not been adequately explained. This creates a level of mystification that limits the analytical value of the degrowth...

Scientific paper • 2019

The ‘state’ of degrowth: Economic growth and the making of state hegemony in Turkey

By: Bengi Akbulut

Abstract: Critical perspectives on economic growth have laid bare the fragility of the assumed link between material growth and socio-ecological wellbeing. The appeal of economic growth, however, goes beyond the economic sphere. As a societal goal, growth is often mobilized to pre-empt and/or co-opt opposition around issues of social justice and redistribution. Not only does the constitution...

Report • 2019

The Green New Deal for Europe: a blueprint for Europe's just transition

By: Giorgos Kallis, Riccardo Mastini, Giacomo D'Alisa, Emanuele Leonardi, Dirk Ehnts, Bill McKibben, Jason Hickel, Stefania Barca, Teresa Anderson, Grace Blakeley, Friedrich Bohn, Sam Bright, Nick Dearden, Nicoletta Dentico, Laura C. Zanetti-Domingues, Skender Fani, Julia Fish, Charlotte Hanson, Nick Jacobs, Tessa Khan, Mat Lawrence, Laurie Laybourn-Langton, Ruth London, Julian Brave NoiseCat, David Powell, Jérémy Rodrigues, Jakob Schäfer, Christoph Schneider, Giovanna Sissa, Isaac Stanley, Will Stronge, Sean Sweeney

Europe today confronts two crises. The first is an economic crisis, with rising levels of poverty, insecurity, and homelessness across the continent. The second is a climate and environmental crisis, with severe consequences for Europe’s front-line communities and even more perilous ones on the horizon. Both crises are the products of Europe’s political decisions, and they are closely bound...

Misc • 2019

Dynamic Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROI) and material requirements in scenarios of global transition to renewable energies

By: Iñigo Capellán-Pérez, Carlos de Castro, Luis Javier Miguel González

A novel methodology is developed to dynamically assess the energy and material investments required over time to achieve the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in the electricity sector. The obtained results indicate that a fast transition achieving a 100% renewable electric system globally by 2060 consistent with the Green Growth narrative could decrease the EROI of the...

Scientific paper • 2019

Frugality as a choice vs. frugality as a social condition. Is de-growth doomed to be a Eurocentric project?

By: Roldan Muradian

I argue that the degrowth movement reflects the values of a particular social group, namely the well-educated European middle class that share progressive-green-cosmopolitan values. This feature creates significant barriers for its dissemination among lower-income social groups in other parts of the world. There is an important difference between frugality as a choice and frugality as a social...

Misc • 2018

Smarte grüne Welt?

By: Steffen Lange, Tilman Santarius

Digitalisierung zwischen Überwachung, Konsum und Nachhaltigkeit »Alles wird sich ändern!« Dieser prophetische Ruf aus der IT-Branche ist inzwischen zur gängigen Einschätzung über die Tragweite der Digitalisierung geworden. Doch was bringt die Digitalisierung für Ökologie und Gerechtigkeit? Führt sie uns in eine smarte grüne Welt, in der alle vom technologischen Fortschritt profitieren und wir...

Misc • 2018

Anarchismus - zur Einführung

By: Daniel Loick

Der Begriff »Anarchismus« leitet sich vom griechischen an-archia, Nicht-Herrschaft, ab und bezeichnet die Idee einer Gesellschaft ohne Staat, Klassen oder sonstige Unterdrückungs- und Ausbeutungsformen. Anarchismus ist aber nicht nur eine Idee, sondern auch eine Praxis: politischer Kampf um Emanzipation und ein Versuch, die Idee der Selbstorganisation und Solidarität praktisch werden zu lassen....

Scientific paper • 2018

The Commons: A Social Form that Allows for Degrowth and Sustainability

By: Johannes Euler

Commons, sustainability, capitalism, collective action, degrowth

Misc • 2018

Ecotopia: An Elitist Liberal Utopia?

By: Niklas Lollo

Comment from Niklas Lollo on the novel "Ecotopia" by Ernest Callenbach. Introduction: Since 1972, Ecotopia has inspired many to envision, and perhaps even foster, a more ecological society. In Ernest Callenbach’s novel, we are transported to a contemporary America, albeit an America that has been torn in two through civil war. This time the war wasn’t over slavery, but rather ecological...

Misc • 2018

Utilitarianism made for ‘Hard Times’ in Dickens’ England

By: Anya VerKamp

Comment from Anya VerKamp on the novel "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens. Introduction: Charles Dickens, an author witnessing firsthand the harsh impacts of the industrial revolution, wrote a novel that contains in it some of the themes still present in degrowth discourse today. His novel Hard Times demonstrates the invasion of utilitarianism and its economic implications into human...

Misc • 2018

Freie Geister

By: Ursula K. Le Guin

Der große utopische Science-Fiction-Klassiker in kongenialer Neuübersetzung. Ursula K. LeGuins ›Freie Geister‹ ist eine der bedeutendsten Utopien des 20. Jahrhunderts, in der die Systemfrage – Kommunismus, Kapitalismus oder Anarchismus? – mit aller Deutlichkeit gestellt wird. Ältere Ausgaben sind unter den Titeln ›Planet der Habenichtse‹ und ›Die Enteigneten‹ erschienen. Der einzige Ort auf...

Misc • 2017

When degrowth enters the parliament

By: Federico Demaria

From the text: . . . In conclusion, let me outline our hypothesis. If growth has been a central pillar of stability in wealthy countries throughout the 20th century, then it is reasonable to argue that its lack in growth-oriented societies might create instability. I propose to read under this light too, but of course not only, the recent emerging political conjuncture, from Trump to Brexit,...

Misc • 2017

Let’s Degrow Up and Grow Down!

By: François Schneider

Francois Schneider defends the use of the term "degrowth". From the text: . . . If degrowth was the name of a multinational of toothpaste, Drews and Antal would be right: degrowth is not the right word to gain (market) competition. However degrowth is not just about raising attention, being interesting, provocative, easy to remember. It actually has a meaning! When I was doing a tour of...

Scientific paper • 2017

Organizing for the post - growth economy

By: Christian Garmann Johnsen, Mette Nelund, Lena Olaison, Bent Meier Sørensen

Abstract of the Special Issue: Perpetual economic growth is an underlying assumption of the contemporary organization of capitalist society. The idea of growth is embedded not only in the corpus of economic thought but also in economic institutions. Against this backdrop, this special issue opens up for critical and creative thinking around organizational issues related to growth, economy,...

Misc • 2017

In defense of degrowth

By: Giorgos Kallis, Aaron Vansintjan

From the book's web page: The idea of degrowth is contentious, often misunderstood, and (perhaps paradoxically) growing in popularity. In this book, Giorgos Kallis, one of the movement's leading thinkers, presents an accessible, inspiring, and enjoyable defense. The book's chapters—a compilation of his opinion essays, newspaper articles, blog posts, and 'minifestos'—range from topics such as...