"The Future Is Degrowth" - 4. Degrowth visions
-> When presenting utopian visions as theoretical concepts, we must be careful not to paint an exhaustive picture, but to base it on what we know about the planet, be cautious about how existing power structures shape even our visions of overcoming them, and allow plenty of room for experimentation, freedom, and continuous societal change.
-> In this spirit, recognizing the imcompleteness of our knowledge, the vulnerability of life and the desire for co-creating the future, it is important to avoid indulging in the euphoria of expert-led planning, presenting utopia as a blueprint.
-> Degrowth visions describe steps for social transformation, not an ideal final state (as diversity of perspectives and representation is central to desirable future). Degrowth propose a "pluriverse", a world where many worlds fit.
Utopian proposals should be neither set in stone nor totalitarian and universal.
Degrowth is not only a critique of the present, but also a proposal and a vision for a better future.
In this chapter: five "currents" of degrowth and a definition.
1. Degrowth currents
Five imaginaries (or "currents") of degrowth, which provide answers to the question of what a degrowth society looks like.
- the institution-oriented current
- the sufficiency-oriented current
- the commoning, or alternative economy current
- the feminist current
- the post-capitalist and globalization-critical current
1. The institution-oriented current
Based mostly on socio-economic and ecological critiques, this current aims to overcome political fixation of growth and transformation of growth-driving institutions.
Proposed policies (examples): "Ecological tax reform", redistribution, and alternative economic measurement indicators (see also "doughnut economy")
Transformation of institutions, such as the welfare state or the labour market, through political reforms is seen as a vehicle and central condition for a democratic transformation in society as a whole.
Current concerned with emphasizing necessity of political pressure.
2. Sufficiency-oriented current
Based mainly on the ecological and cultural critique, and critique of industrialism. This current aims to radically reduce resource consumption through creation of local and decommercialized subsistence economies.
It focuses on practices outside consumer-driven capitalist market.
- Sufficiency: it's about behavioral changes, reduction of consumption. The desire to have "enough" ("voluntary simplicity", "frugal living", etc).
- This current puts focus on equal ecological budgets for each person globally (but it can lead to individualization of the search of solutions, it should not downplay the importance of necessary social and structural changes).
- Ecovillages projects highlights collective nature of the sufficiency approach.
3. Commoning or alternative economy current
Current focuses on construction of alternative infrastructures, cooperatives based on solidarity, and non-capitalist forms of collective production (eg. community-supported agriculture, commoning). It also focuses on fair-trade movements with Global-South.
These movements stress sovereignty, cooperative ownership. They seek to build links with consumers in Global North to support struggles for alternative development (see World Social Forum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Social_Forum).
Emphasis on commons. Core idea is that a degrowth economy should be rooted in commoning initiatives. Another emphasis: commons as a path to overturning capitalism. The goal is a society where most forms of property are abolished, one based on economic system without markets.
-> This does not sufficiently challenge the demobilizing power of the state (and recuperation by capitalist economy) eg. "sharing economy" taken over by Airbnb or Uber.
Key descriptors: "radical municipalism", "social anarchism". Current aligned with critique of capitalism and globalization.
4. Feminist current
Subsistance approach clarified connections between capitalist exploitation of housewives, smallholders in the Global South, and nature.
-> Feminist proposals seek to place reproductive activities and care at the centre of the economy. Aims to overcome separation between production and reproduction.
Requires less working hours, fair redistribution of care activities.
Core idea: degrowth society can only be achieved by ending patriarchal structures. See works from Feminisms and Degrowth Alliance (FaDA): https://degrowth.info/en/fada
5. Post-capitalist and alter-globalization current
Focuses on growth constraint of capitalist societies and by an emphasis of its dynamics of power.
-> Calls for fundamental structural changes and will require social struggle to be achieved.
Aims to undo domination of the market, reduce social relations of domination. "Socialism without growth" (non-productivist) linked to eco-socialist approach.
Also calls for systemic changes (like distribution and ownership) necessity to restructure and dismantle certain industrial sector (eg. coal, SUVs) via direct actions, and alliances with Global South.
2. Defining degrowth
Towards a definition of degrowth
First, degrowth is defined as a proposal for a future society, a goal to work towards.
A much-quoted definition (from Research & Degrowth network):
Sustainable degrowth may be defined as an equitable downscaling of production and consumption that increases human well-being, and enhances ecological conditions at the local and global level, in the short and long term.
Another definition:
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.
And another one:
Sustainable degrowth is a multi-faceted political project that aspires to mobilize support for a change of direction, at the macro-level of economic and political institutions and at micro-level personal values and aspirations. Income and material comfort is to be reduced for many along the way, but the goal is that this is not experienced as welfare loss.
What brings these definitions together i the proposal for a radical transition, a politicization of metabolism itself, a focus on justice, and a critique of the present economy.
Book proposal!
A degrowth society is one which, in a democratic process of transformation:
enables global ecological justice: in other words, it transforms and reduces its material metabolism, and thus also production and consumption, in such a way that its way of life is ecologically sustainable in the long term and globally just.
strengthens social justice and self-determination and strives for a good life for all under the conditions of this changed metabolism.
redesigns its institutions so that they are not dependent on growth and continuous expansion for their functioning.
These three principles take into consideration the core concerns shared across the degrowth spectrum
Proposal part 1: Global ecological justice
A "way of life ecologically sustainable and globally just" = includes reduction of consumption and production among the affluent.
Degrowth = fundamentally about global ecological justice, a world ecologically sustainable and socially more equal. Three key presuppositions:
Degrowth requires major lifestyle changes for the wealthiest globally (including particularly Global North). Degrowth aims to replace the imperial mode of living with a solidarity-based one, including those who struggle in the Global North. It's not a politics of less, but a politics of enough of all.
It also requires systemic change beyond growth and capitalism.
This transformation must not unequally fall on the shoulders of the poor, in particular, the Global South. Rather, create conditions for global justice.
Global ecological justice: radical redistribution of wealth, resources. We need to decrease the biophysical size of economies of the industrialized countries.
-> "The contradiction between the material overdevelopment of the Global North and the extreme overexploitation of the Global South indicates that, for the latter to end, the former must end first." (Jamie Tyber & Erica Jung)
Proposal part 2: Social justice, self-determination and a good life for all
How to achieve transformation of society with smaller metabolism and (thus) smaller economy, while, at the same time, to strengthen social justice, self-determination and a good life for all?
First, degrowth is about social justice, about the fulfillment of basic needs, democratically managed. Social justice means undoing broader structure of domination such as class society, racism, colonialism and other forms of exclusion.
Second, it's about strengthening self-determination beyond growth. Importance of development of democracy, autonomy.
Third, degrowth strives to create the conditions of a good life for all. To give more space to needs not oriented towards increase and optimization. Focus on establishing fewer and stable axes of resonance (ie. the connection with world + experience of "flow", "responsive relationship), instead of expanding individual world reach.
Good life: not only social justice, but thriving coexistance and collective self-determination in everyday life. Attitude of social interaction not defined by consumption and goods but by mutual respect and appreciation of social relationship.
Proposal part 3: independence from growth
Degrowth societies change institutions and infrastructures so that they are not dependent on growth and continuous expansion for their functioning.
Four main kinds of growth dependencies: - material infrastructures and technical systems - social institutions - mental infrastructures - the economic system
All of them in crisis without continuous expansion and acceleration. All four levels are interwoven.
Material infrastructure and complex systems create path dependencies and growth imperatives. We need to repoliticize technological and infra development, by slowing them down and develop growth-independent techniques.
Some social institutions dependent on economic growth (eg. pension and health care provision, public services). That's why during the 2008 recession, or covid, institutions are put under pressure, cuts in pension, rising public debt. -> Degrowth society would restructure relevant infrastructures so that they can function without economic growth.
"Mental infrastructures" also subject to acceleration: patterns of work and consumption to competition-based subjectivities. -> There's a concern to liberate the imaginary: it requires ways of understanding and positioning oneself in the world and in relation to others
Basic structures of the economy dependent on growth: for example, unemployment rises without growth, competition forces reinvesting. -> The functioning of capitalism is structurally dependent on growth, that's how capitalist societies can stabilize themselves. So, a better future beyond growth is necessarily post-capitalist. => We need to think of non-capitalist forms of economic activities such as commoning, participatory planning, etc.
3. Why degrowth is desirable
Three criteria for evaluating social alternative:
- desirability (this chapter)
- viability (chapter 5, "how do we know it'll work?)
- achievability (chapter 6, "how to get there?")