Author | Tim Jackson |
---|---|
Original title | Prosperity without growth? The transition to a sustainable economy (report of the Sustainable Development Commission) [1] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Subject | Sustainability, economics, post-growth, prosperity |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Published | 2009 (first edition) 2017 (second edition) |
Publisher | Routledge |
ISBN | 978-1138935419 |
Prosperity Without Growth is a book by author and economist Tim Jackson. It was originally released as a report by the Sustainable Development Commission. The study rapidly became the most downloaded report in the Commission's nine-year history when it was published in 2009. The report was later that year reworked and published as a book by Earthscan. A revised and expanded edition (Prosperity Without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow) was published in January 2017. [2]
By arguing that "prosperity –in any meaningful sense of the word –transcends material concerns", [3] the book summarizes the evidence showing that, beyond a certain point, growth does not increase human well-being. Prosperity without Growth analyses the complex relationships between economic growth, environmental crises and social recession. It proposes a route to a sustainable economy, and argues for a redefinition of "prosperity" in light of the evidence on what really contributes to people’s well-being. [1]
The second edition expands on these ideas and sets out the framework for what he calls "the economy of tomorrow". By attending the nature of enterprise as a form of social organisation, the meaning of work as participation in society, the function of investment as a commitment to the future; and the role of money as a social good, he demonstrates how the economy may be transformed in ways that protect employment, promote and facilitate social investment, reduce inequality and support both ecological and financial stability. [2]
The first edition was described by Le Monde as "one of the most outstanding pieces of environmental economics literature in recent years". [4] [5] The sociologist Anthony Giddens referred to it as "a must-read for anyone concerned with issues of climate change and sustainability –bold, original and comprehensive." The second edition received endorsements from Yanis Varoufakis, who referred to it as "essential reading for those refusing to succumb to a dystopic future". [2] Noam Chomsky called it a "thoughtful and penetrating critique". [2] Herman Daly praised it with: "It is hard to improve a classic, but Jackson has done it... a clearly written yet scholarly union of moral vision, with solid economics." [2] Rowan Williams called it "one of the most important essays of our generation: both visionary and realistic, rooted in careful research and setting out difficult but achievable goals, it gives what we so badly need –an alternative to passivity, short-term selfishness and cynicism". [2]
The second edition of Prosperity without growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow is organised in eleven chapters: [2]
Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet (2009) has been translated into eighteen languages including Swedish (Välfärd utan tillväxt: så skapar vi ett hållbart samhälle, 2011), German (Wohlstand ohne Wachstum, 2011), French (Prospérité sans croissance, 2010), Greek (Ευημερία χωρίς ανάπτυξη, 2012), Spanish (Prosperidad sin crecimiento, 2011), Italian (Prosperità senza crescita, 2011), Dutch (Welvaart zonder groei, 2010) and Chinese (无增长的繁荣,2011).
The second edition, Prosperity without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow (2017), has been translated into German, [6] French, [7] Italian, [8] and Danish. [9]
Maurice Félix Charles Allais was a French physicist and economist, the 1988 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for his pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources", along with John Hicks and Paul Samuelson, to neoclassical synthesis. They formalize the self-regulation of markets, that Keynes refuted, while reiterating some of his ideas.
Genuine progress indicator (GPI) is a metric that has been suggested to replace, or supplement, gross domestic product (GDP). The GPI is designed to take fuller account of the well-being of a nation, only a part of which pertains to the size of the nation's economy, by incorporating environmental and social factors which are not measured by GDP. For instance, some models of GPI decrease in value when the poverty rate increases. The GPI separates the concept of societal progress from economic growth.
A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politically applied focus. The 2011 UNEP Green Economy Report argues "that to be green, an economy must not only be efficient, but also fair. Fairness implies recognizing global and country level equity dimensions, particularly in assuring a Just Transition to an economy that is low-carbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive."
The Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) is an economic indicator intended to replace the gross domestic product (GDP), which is the main macroeconomic indicator of System of National Accounts (SNA). Rather than simply adding together all expenditures like the GDP, consumer spending is balanced by such factors as income distribution and cost associated with pollution and other unsustainable costs. The calculation excludes defence expenditures and considers a wider range of harmful effects of economic growth. It is similar to the genuine progress indicator (GPI).
Johannes Daniel Dahm is a German geographer, ecologist, activist, consultant and entrepreneur.
Sir Timothy John Besley, is a British academic economist who is the School Professor of Economics and Political Science and Sir W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE).
Cultural economics is the branch of economics that studies the relation of culture to economic outcomes. Here, 'culture' is defined by shared beliefs and preferences of respective groups. Programmatic issues include whether and how much culture matters as to economic outcomes and what its relation is to institutions. As a growing field in behavioral economics, the role of culture in economic behavior is increasingly being demonstrated to cause significant differentials in decision-making and the management and valuation of assets.
Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health.
Degrowth is a term used for both a political, economic, and social movement as well as a set of theories that criticise the paradigm of economic growth. Degrowth is based on ideas from political ecology, ecological economics, feminist political ecology, and environmental justice, arguing that social and ecological harm is caused by the pursuit of infinite growth and Western "development" imperatives.
Green growth is a concept in economic theory and policymaking used to describe paths of economic growth that are environmentally sustainable. It is based on the understanding that as long as economic growth remains a predominant goal, a decoupling of economic growth from resource use and adverse environmental impacts is required. As such, green growth is closely related to the concepts of green economy and low-carbon or sustainable development. A main driver for green growth is the transition towards sustainable energy systems. Advocates of green growth policies argue that well-implemented green policies can create opportunities for employment in sectors such as renewable energy, green agriculture, or sustainable forestry.
State of the World 2010: Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability is a report and project conceived and directed by Erik Assadourian, a senior fellow at Worldwatch, and published by the Worldwatch Institute that analyzes the consumer cultural paradigm. It includes 26 articles from 60 eminent researchers and experts on consumerism, sustainability, and cultural change, and provides essential facts and case studies on how societies can transition from consumerism to sustainability. The report has received positive reviews from several esteemed academics, including Bill McKibben, Tim Jackson, Gus Speth, and Muhammad Yunus. It has also been translated into 11 different languages and adjusted for a youth audience.
Edward J. Nell is an American economist and a former professor at the New School for Social Research. Nell was a member of the New School faculty from 1969 to 2014. He achieved the rank of Malcolm B. Smith Professor of Economics in 1990.
Tim Jackson is a British ecological economist and professor of sustainable development at the University of Surrey. He is the director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), a multi-disciplinary, international research consortium which aims to understand the economic, social and political dimensions of sustainable prosperity. Tim Jackson is the author of Prosperity Without Growth and Material Concerns (1996). In 2016, he received the Hillary Laureate for exceptional mid-career Leadership. His most recent book Post Growth—Life After Capitalism was published in March 2021 by Polity Press.
In economic and environmental fields, decoupling refers to an economy that would be able to grow without corresponding increases in environmental pressure. In many economies, increasing production (GDP) raises pressure on the environment. An economy that would be able to sustain economic growth while reducing the amount of resources such as water or fossil fuels used and delink environmental deterioration at the same time would be said to be decoupled. Environmental pressure is often measured using emissions of pollutants, and decoupling is often measured by the emission intensity of economic output.
Niko Paech is a German economist. Since 2018, he has worked as a supernumerary ("außerplanmäßiger") professor at the University of Siegen. From 2010 to 2018, he was substitute professor at the chair of production and environment (PUM) at the University of Oldenburg. His research focuses on the fields of environmental economics, ecological economics and sustainability.
Post-growth is a stance on economic growth concerning the limits-to-growth dilemma — recognition that, on a planet of finite material resources, extractive economies and populations cannot grow infinitely. The term "post-growth" acknowledges that economic growth can generate beneficial effects up to a point, but beyond that point it is necessary to look for other indicators and techniques to increase human wellbeing.
Hartmut Bossel is a German environmental scientist and systems scientist. Bossel was a professor of environmental systems analysis and director of the Scientific Center for Environmental Systems Research and Environmental Systems Analysis Group at the University of Kassel, Germany, until his retirement in 1997.
Ten national referendums were held in Switzerland in 2018. Polling took place on 4 March, 10 June, 23 September and 25 November.
Material Concerns is a book by author and economist Tim Jackson. Published in 1996, it pioneered the concept of preventive environmental management, a core principle of the circular economy framework.
Growth imperative is a term in economic theory regarding a possible necessity of economic growth. On the micro level, it describes mechanisms that force firms or consumers (households) to increase revenues or consumption to not endanger their income. On the macro level, a political growth imperative exists if economic growth is necessary to avoid economic and social instability or to retain democratic legitimacy, so that other political goals such as climate change mitigation or a reduction of inequality are subordinated to growth policies.