Research

The R&D team undertakes research in a variety of areas, such as:

 

Definitions of degrowth and description of the movement, its strategies and sources

References:

Kallis, G., Paulson, S., D’Alisa, G., and Demaria, F.  (2020) The case for degrowth. Cambridge: Polity Press.

D’Alisa, G. (2019),“Degrowth”, Dicionário Alice.  ISBN: 978-989-8847-08-9

Kallis G., D’Alisa G.  Demaria F. (2015) Degrowth: A Vocabulary For a New Era. Routledge. 

Demaria, F. , Schneider, F., Sekulova, F., Martinez-Alier, J. (2013)  “What is degrowth? from an activist slogan to a social movement”, Environmental Values.  vol. 22, num. 2  DOI: 10.2307/2346097

 

Green growth and the rebound effect

Green growth, or the idea that we could grow our economy while preserving or even enhancing environmental conditions, is increasingly promoted as a silver bullet. However, degrowth research points out that ‘decoupling’ economic growth from negative environmental impacts is highly speculative and based on hypothetical models rather than on empirical evidence.

References:

Hickel, J., & Kallis, G. (2020). Is green growth possible?. New political economy, 25(4), 469-486.

Parrique, T., Barth, J., Briens, F., Kerschner, C., Kraus-Polk, A., Kuokkanen, A., & Spangenberg, J. H. (2019). Decoupling debunked. Evidence and arguments against green growth as a sole strategy for sustainability. European Environment Bureau.

Alcott, B. (2005). Jevons’ paradox. Ecological economics, 54(1), 9-21.

 

Capitalism and degrowth.

Most degrowth advocates would concede that there is a fundamental incompatibility between capitalism and degrowth, but are reluctant to explicitly position themselves against capitalism. This reluctance has been a point of contention with Marxism and an object of debate within degrowth itself.

References:

Andreucci, D., & McDonough, T. (2014). Capitalism. In Degrowth: A Vocabulary for a New Era, edited by Kallis, G., Demaria, F., and D ‘Alisa, G.

Kallis, G., Kerschner, C., & Martinez-Alier, J. (2012). The economics of degrowth. 

 

Degrowth and steady state economy

There are two key principles to steady-state economy: 1) Never extract more than ecosystems can regenerate. 2) Never waste more than ecosystems can safely absorb.  For high-income countries, getting there means scaling down resource use through degrowth.

References:

O’Neill, D. W. (2012). Measuring progress in the degrowth transition to a steady-state economy. Ecological economics, 84, 221-231.

Kerschner, C. (2010). Economic de-growth vs. steady-state economy. Journal of cleaner production, 18(6), 544-551.

O’Neill, D. W. (2015). The proximity of nations to a socially sustainable steady-state economy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 108, 1213-1231.

 

Degrowth and democracy

Our work at the interface of degrowth and democracy looks at the potential of grassroots democratic politics and direct democracy as a strategy for degrowth transitions. It also examines links between representative democracy, growth, and degrowth.

References:

Zografos, C. 2019. Direct Democracy. In: Kothari, A., Salleh, A., Escobar, A., Demaria, F. (eds.). Pluriverse: A Post-development Dictionary. Routledge.

Zografos, C. “Expropriate Zuckerberg!”. Yes, but how? Comment on Dörre, K. ‘Democracy, not Capitalism – or: Expropriate Zuckerberg!’. 2019. In: Ketterer, H., Becker, K. (eds.) Was stimmt nicht mit der Demokratie? Eine Debatte mit Klaus Dörre, Nancy Fraser, Stephan Lessenich und Hartmut Rosa[What’s Wrong With Democracy? A conversation between Nancy Fraser, Klaus Dörre, Stephan Lessenich and Hartmut Rosa]. Suhrkamp.

Kallis, G., Kostakis, V., Lange, S., Muraca, B., Paulson, S. and Schmelzer, M., (2018). Research on degrowth. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 43, pp.291-316.

Zografos, C. (2015). Démocratie directe [Direct Democracy]. In: D’Alisa, G. Demaria, F., Kallis, G. Décroissance. Vocabulaire pour une nouvelle ère [Degrowth. Vocabulary for a new era].Neuvy-en-Champagne: Éditions le passager clandestine, pp: 187-194.

Cattaneo, C., d’Alisa, G., Kallis, G., Zografos, C. (2012). Degrowth futures and democracy (editorial on Special Issue on ‘Degrowth and Democracy’) Futures44:6, pp. 515–523. 

Limits to growth

References:

Kallis, G. (2019). Stanford, Stanford University Press, ISBN 9781503611559 and 9781503611566

Degrowth and the State

References:

D’Alisa G., Kallis G. (2020) Degrowth and the State. Ecological Economics. 2020, vol. 169,

Tools for analysis and for facilitating collective processes
Time use, feminism and care
Commons and commoning
Social economy
Macroeconomics of degrowth
Degrowth as a social movement
Social metabolism, ecological conflicts and ecological debt