Introduction to degrowth (Leipzig Conference 2014) by Giacomo D'Alisa and Federico Demaria (Research...
46
Degrowth: what?! An introduction Giacomo D'Alisa Federico Demaria Research&Degrowth, ICTA UAB
-
Upload
research-degrowth -
Category
Economy & Finance
-
view
225 -
download
1
description
"Degrowth: what?! An introduction" by Research & Degrowth Giacomo D'Alisa and Federico Demaria (R&D, ICTA UAB) Degrowth signifies a critique of the growth economy. It calls for the decolonization of public debate from the idiom of economism and for the abolishment of economic growth as a social objective. Degrowth signifies also a desired direction, in which societies use less natural resources and organize and live differently than today. In this lecture, the (old and new) degrowth literature and debate will be introduced. We will then separate in small groups to clarify and debate these ideas, guided by a facilitator. Facilitators: Barbara Muraca, Simone D'Alessandro, Irina Velicu, Filka Sekulova, Christian Kerschner, Daniela Del Bene, Claudio Cattaneo, Sylvia Lorek, Christos Zografos, Aggelos Varvarousis, Guastavo Garcia Lopez. This presentation is based on the Introduction of the book: “Degrowth: a vocabulary for a new era” edited by Giacomo D'Alisa, Federico Demaria and Giorgos Kallis (Routledge, 2014). http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138000773/ www.vocabulary.degrowth.org More info about the presentation: http://programme.leipzig.degrowth.org/en/degrowth2014/public/events/129 Video of the presentation: 1º Part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt1Wlq2Xfas 2º Part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ-2bZ6iYEI We live in an era of stagnation, rapid impoverishment, rising inequalities and socio-ecological disasters. In the dominant discourse, these are effects of economic crisis, lack of growth or underdevelopment. This book argues that growth is the cause of these problems and that it has become uneconomic, ecologically unsustainable and intrinsically unjust. When the language in use is inadequate to articulate what begs to be articulated, then it is time for a new vocabulary. A movement of activists and intellectuals, first starting in France and then spreading to the rest of the world, has called for the decolonization of public debate from the idiom of economism and the abolishment of economic growth as a social objective. ‘Degrowth’ (‘décroissance’) has come to signify for them the desired direction of societies that will use fewer natural resources and will organize themselves to live radically differently. ‘Simplicity’, ‘conviviality’, ‘autonomy’, ‘care’, ‘the commons’, ‘dépense’ are some of the words that express what a degrowth society might look like. Degrowth: A vocabulary for a new era is the first English language book to comprehensively cover the burgeoning literature on degrowth. It presents and explains the different lines of thought, imaginaries and proposed courses of action that together complete the degrowth puzzle. The book brings together the top scholars writing in the field with young researchers who cultivate the research frontier and activists who practise degrowth on the ground. It will be an indispensable source of information and inspiration for all those who not
Transcript of Introduction to degrowth (Leipzig Conference 2014) by Giacomo D'Alisa and Federico Demaria (Research...
Degrowth: what?! An introduction
Giacomo D'Alisa
Federico Demaria
Research&Degrowth, ICTA UAB
This presentation is based on the Introduction of the book: “Degrowth: a vocabulary for a new era” edited by Giacomo D'Alisa, Federico Demaria and Giorgos Kallis (Routledge, 2014).
http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138000773/
www.vocabulary.degrowth.org
More info about the presentation:
http://programme.leipzig.degrowth.org/en/degrowth2014/public/events/129
Video of the presentation:
1º Part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt1Wlq2Xfas
2º Part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ-2bZ6iYEI
Degrowth: what?! An introduction
by Research & Degrowth
Degrowth signifies a critique of the growth economy. It calls for the decolonization of public debate from the idiom of economism and for the abolishment of economic growth as a social objective. Degrowth signifies also a desired direction, in which societies use less natural resources and organize and live differently than today. In this lecture, the (old and new) degrowth literature and debate will be introduced. We will then separate in small groups to clarify and debate these ideas, guided by a facilitator.
Outlining
I. Trying a definition together
II. The Twist and Turn of degrowth
III. A Possible Vocabulary
IV. Some lines for future research
I. Trying a definition
Write down your own definition
in one or two sentences
(5 minutes)
Trying a definition
Deagrowth as (Literature):
- Ideology;
- Economic concept;
- Framework;
- Paradigm;
- Social Movement;
- ...
Trying a defintion
Premise
Degrowth is placed at the junction of several sources (or streams of thought) which cross each other without being in competition.
Trying a definition
- Naive: e.g. Decrease of GDP;
- Wikipedia: “A political, economic, and social movement based on ecological economics and anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist ideas”;
- Anthropological: “a smooth reduction of the hypertrophied modern individual.”
Trying a definition
- Ecological economics:
e.g. “an equitable downscaling of production and consumption that will reduce societies’ throughput of energy and raw materials” (Schneider et al, 2010);
- Socio-Economic:
e.g. “degrowth challenges the hegemony of growth and calls for a democratically led redistributive downscaling of production and consumption in industrialized countries as a means to achieve environmental sustainability, social justice and well being” (Demaria et al, 2013).
Trying a definition
BUT... in fact, there is no comprehensive definition, despite various attempts.
Should there be one?
“Is the earth's balance, for which no-growth -or even degrowth- of material production is a necessary condition, compatible with the survival of the capitalist system”
André Gorz, 1972
(a political ecologist)
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
A collection of essays by Georgescu-Roegen edited by Jacques Grinevald and Ivo Rens (1979)
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
“Only one economist, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, has had the common sense to point out that, even at zero growth, the continued consumption of scarce resources will inevitably result in exhausting them completely.”
André Gorz, 1977
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
“Today a lack of realism no longer consists in advocating greater well-being through the degrowth [...but...] imaginaning that economic growth can still bring about increased human welfare, and indeed that it is still physically possible.
André Gorz, 1977
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
1980s and 1990s
The oil crisis is overcome and with the advent of neo-liberalism, the interest on limits to growth and degrowth waned.
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
2001: French environmental activists launched “Sustainable Degrowth” as a slogan.
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
France:
- Objectif Décroissance (2002)
- La Décroissance:
le journal de la joie de vivre (2004)
- The donkey tour (2004)
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
and then
Italy: Decrescita (2004)
Catalonia: Decreixement (2006)
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
1970s: Resource limits
1980s: criticism of utilitarianism
2000s: Criticism of (sustainable) development
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
Environmentalists
Post-Development
Cultural Critics
Ecological Economists
Degrowth
- 1º Paris 2008
- 2º Barcelona 2010
- 3º Venice and Montreal 2012
- 4º Leipzig 2014
- 5º ? 2016...
…
II. The twist and turn of degrowth
- Over 100 articles and 7 Special Issues;
- Taught at universities (e.g. SciencePo, Paris);
- Mentioned in newspapers The Guardian, Le Monde, El Pais, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.
II The twist and turn of degrowth
III. A Possible Vocabulary
Our emphasis is on different, not only less
III. A Possible Vocabulary
III. A Possible Vocabulary
Themes:
1) The limits of growth;
2) Degrowth as Autonomy;
3) Degrowth as repoliticization;
4) Degrowth and Capitalism;
5) Proposals for a Degrowth transition.
1) The limits to growth
Growth is uneconomic:
- Costs are increasing faster than wealth;
- Inequality is increasing / concentration of wealth (Piketty 2014)
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
BUT… it does not mean it cannot go on
1) The limits to growth
Growth is Unjust:
- Subsidized by unpaid work (e.g. Care);
- Unequal access to resources;
- Unequal distribution of costs and benefits (See Environmental Justice);
- Commodification is eroding sociality;
- Do not increase happiness for everyone.
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
1) The Limits to Growth
Growth is Ecologically unsustainable:
- Strong correlation between GDP and carbon emissions;
- Dematerialization is not happening;
- Technology cannot solve all problems.
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
1) The limits to Growth
Growth is Coming to an end
- diminishing marginal returns;
- exhaustion of technological innovations;
- limits in creating effective demand and investment outlets;
- limited natural resources (e.g. peak oil).
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
2) Degrowth as Autonomy
Different meanings of Autonomy
Ivan Illich (1973) André Gorz (1982) Cornelious Castoriadis (1987)
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
2) Degrowth as Autonomy
- The emphasis is on collective self-limitations.
- Limits are a social choice and not an external imperative for environmental or other reasons (e.g. saving the Earth).
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
3) Degrowth as repoliticization
a “missile word” to repoliticize environmentalism and the fake consensus on sustainable development.
A call for the politicization of science, against the technocratization of politics.
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
4) Degrowth and Capitalism
Growth is an imperative for capitalism:
- Technical / Economic reasons;
- Socio-political reasons it avoids redistributive conflict.
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
4) Degrowth and Capitalism
- Degrowth is about imagining and constructing a different non-capitalist society.
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
5) Proposal for a degrowth transition
A transition to convivial societies who live simply, in common and with less.
a) Grassroots economic practices (Nowtopias)
b) Welfare institutions without growth
c) Money and credit institutions
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
5) Proposal for a degrowth transition
a) Characteristics of Nowtopias:
1. Production of use value (mainly);
2. No built-in dynamic to accumulate and expand;
3. Reduction of wage labour participant activity;
4. Circulation of goods gifts
5. Commoning.
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
5) Proposal for a degrowth transition
– b) Welfare institutions without growth:
- Job guarantee;
• - Basic and ceiling income;
• - Work-sharing;
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
5) Proposal for a degrowth transition
c) Money and credit institutions
- Community currencies;
- Public money;
- Debt audits;
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
The politics of a degrowth transition
- Uncivil (and Civil) practices;
- Leak in parliamentary politics
- Taking part of Social movements
III. A Possible Vocabulary - Themes
IV. Some lines for future Research
Foundational degrowth claims
1) The impossibility of dematerialization;
2) The entry of developed economies into a period of systemic stagnation;
3) An abandonment of growth will revive politics and nourish democracy;
The future of degrowth isin (y)our hands!
Thank you!
Contacts:
Discussion: Small groups
Research&Degrowth members and friends:
1) Barbara Muraca: Sources of degrowth;
2) Simone D'Alessandro: Ecological macro-economics;
3) Irina Velicu: Movements and post-communism;
4) Filka Sekulova: Happiness and Trade;
5) Christian Kerschner: Ecological limits;
6) Daniela Del Bene: Environmental justice;
7) Claudio Cattaneo: Voluntary simplicity;
8) Sylvia Lorek: Sustainable consumption;
9) Christos Zografos and Aggelos Varvarousis: democracy and politics
10) Giacomo D'Alisa: Anthropology and Degrowth
11) Federico Demaria: Perspectives from the Global South
Program
14.30-15.30
Introductory talk by D'Alisa and Demaria
15.30-16.00
Divide in small groups
16.00-17.00
Discussion in small groups with a facilitator
17.00-18.00
Informal get together to share the results
