The Case for Degrowth

The Case For

by Giorgos Kallis, Susan Paulson, Giacomo D'Alisa

The relentless pursuit of economic growth is the defining characteristic of contemporary societies. Yet it benefits few and demands monstrous social and ecological sacrifice. Is there a viable alternative? How can we halt the endless quest to grow global production and consumption and instead secure socio-ecological conditions that support lives worth living for all? In this compelling book, leading experts Giorgos Kallis, Susan Paulson, Giacomo D’Alisa and Federico Demaria make the case for degrowth - living well with less, by living differently, prioritizing wellbeing, equity and sustainability.  Drawing on emerging initiatives and enduring traditions around the world, they advance a radical degrowth vision and outline policies to shape work and care, income and investment that avoid exploitative and unsustainable practices. Degrowth, they argue, can be achieved through transformative strategies that allow societies to slow down by design, not disaster. Essential reading for all concerned citizens, policy-makers, and students, this book will be an important contribution to one of the thorniest and most pressing debates of our era.

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Environment, Climate Change, Politics, Ecology

151 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Giorgos Kallis is an ICREA professor at ICTA, Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Reviews

[نيرة · Rating 5 out of 5]

“At the heart of degrowth is a collective endeavour to make life viable and enjoyable through material and meaningful support not driven toward profit”.

Essence of the Book:

Whether you have taken an economics course in school or simply follow mainstream media, it is common “knowledge” that GDP is the ultimate measure of how well a nation is doing economically and (bizarrely enough) socially. This is false. This book puts forth a convincing counter argument that perpetual GDP growth isn’t the cure for everything, and in fact this very sentiment is doing more harm than good.

A prime example is COVID-19; the global pandemic that has killed millions across the world and affected the majority of us financially, physically and emotionally. Whilst the pandemic is not a direct result of economic growth - as they have existed long before this neoliberal death cult had such a tight grip on us - it is responsible for the catastrophic response to the pandemic. Why did the virus spread so quickly? Why, in the richest economies across the globe, were we not able to control it? One needs to look no further than the UK. Since the 70s policy makers and economists ran and sought refuge in austerity measures as a means of boosting economic growth. Such policies deprived society of its foundational infrastructures, such as schools, hospitals, physical infrastructure, public transportation etc.
One particular sector is the public health system - especially in the last decade - making it extremely vulnerable and in no way ready to deal with a global pandemic. The direct undermining of healthcare infrastructure through austerity measures coupled with the reluctance to undergo a proper lockdown, in fear of the market collapse created the perfect recipe for complete chaos.

The public health sector is just an example of many whereby essential sectors have been crippled or slaughtered for the sake of “economic growth” (a phenomenon that the average Joe rarely gets the chance to reap its fruits) and this is what this book focuses on in the first couple of chapter, allowing us to see how truly ludicrous it is to centre our entire lives around promoting perpetual economic growth - especially when its at the cost of our emotional wellbeing, happiness, sense of community and (on an extremely detrimental level) the environment.

What the book proposes:

The goal of Degrowth is to abandon GDP as the front and centre goal; that way policy makers can directly tailor legislation and policies depending on what it is they are trying to achieve. Another objective of Degrowth - and this is to be adopted on a societal level as well as an institutional one - is actively scaling down ecologically destructive and socially unnecessary industries and to decommodify parts of the economy that are a necessary human need and vital for our overall well being, examples include, universal healthcare, universal education, safe public transport, access to clean water and renewable energy.


Kallis, Paulson, D’Alisa and Demaria propose five main policies that will help us in achieving this: (1) A Green New Deal without Growth; (2) Universal Basics; (3) Reclaiming the commons; (4) Reduced Working Hours and (5) Public Finances that Greens and Equalises.

The case for degrowth is a beacon of hope for a more environmentally conscientious economic system that isn’t centred around a perpetually increasing GDP. It's accessible to all readers from all backgrounds, whether you have a degree in economics or have never studied the subject before. It’s a guide for those who want better for ourselves, families and society in general. It is also refreshing to see a book that is concerned with economic policy acknowledge and challenge the colonial underpinnings of current mainstream economic policies and theory. Further, it does not propose a “one policy fit all” and considers the way degrowth may differ for the global south compared to the global north; as well as prioritising the urgency of stopping money and natural resources flowing from low to high income countries.

Overall, a very coherent and enlightening read :)

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally recommend this book for any person wondering how would life look like without the pressure of a growth-driven society (and economy). Offers both the conceptual and empirical reasoning for pursuing a future where the wellbeing of humans is within planetary boundaries.

[Nains · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una bona intro al concepte de decreixement. Tot i així no es fa una lectura amena, no pel contingut sinó pel tipus d’escriptura (potser és la traducció?).

Les idees estan ben organitzades i segueixen una lògica, conceptualitzant de forma clara el terme, però a vegades els arguments se m’han quedat una mica curts. Especialment pel que fa a la creença de que el canvi només pot venir donat per un factor d’aleatorietat que acceleri una possible onada de canvi social (citant a Hannah Arendt, lo político da lugar a lo inesperado, a lo extraodinario). Tenint en compte que vivim en una societat on tots els aspectes de la vida humana estan tan arrelats a aquesta lògica de creixement, se’m fa difícil de veure com el canvi pot venir només donat per aquesta variable. És veritat que també proposen crear i apostar per models que dins del nostre sistema potencien aquesta lògica decreixentista (eg. les cooperatives), tot i així el problema està en que son 4 gats els que creuen en això, i és difícil de transmetre aquesta idea a una societat on el marc mental mainstream es basa en la globalització. Però bueno, en la seva defensa, suposo que en ser economistes no els pertoca parlar dels factors que porten a aplicar les propostes que plantegen i fer realitat el model en qüestió, o entrar en el debat de quins mecanismes poden ser rellevants per introduir aquest debat a la opinió pública.

En contrast, el llibre ofereix una vessant més pragmàtica de propostes que poden portar-nos cap a aquesta societat de decreixement. Això és un puntazo, ja que sovint, aquest tipo de llibre es queden en un pla abstracte que costa d’entendre o baixar a la realitat (en definitiva, una mica el que li passa a la CUP).

En resum, un bon llibre introductori, tot i que podria ser de lectura una mica més accessible, un to una mica menys acadèmic per poder-lo fer d’un abast més generalitzat.

[M A H THOMLINSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well argued & convincing. In the rich world, we are not happier than fifty years ago - but economic growth has continued apace. The levels of poverty are about the same as fifty years ago - but growth has continued. Clearly, it is not the answer to our problems, and -worse- it is causing ecological collapse. Kallis and co-authors argue we need degrowth: a managed reduction in production and consumption to sustainable levels. The answer to happiness, inequality and other questions is re-evaluating how society runs, not trying to spend our way out of trouble.

I had one critique: what about countries that don't do this? The aggressive countries that continue to over-exploit may gain geopolitical supremacy and assert a new quasi-colonial dominance over anywhere that decided to de-grow. I am not sure there is an answer to this.

[Lee Bertsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using simple math it becomes an irrefutable fact that economic growth as presently construed cannot continue indefinitely. It would lead to the consumption of resources that the earth simply does not have. So, is a radical transformation of how we work and live together essential? It would appear to be so and the authors seek to make the case for degrowth. But in only 129 pages of content all we really get is a sample pack of challenging ideas. Take this statement on pg.79 "We need to stop taxing what sustains societies (people's work), and instead tax what destroys societies (pollution and inequality)". That's an appealing and intriguing idea but would require a book on its own, with lots of data, well developed arguments, and implementation ideas to establish. But with such a radical new idea as degrowth which most people will reflexively reject, perhaps this is the place to start in changing the mindset of 7 billion people - with a compendium of bold ideas simply laid out and left to percolate.

The author recognizes the impact of grassroots movements to bring change but implies that eventually it will come down to managing a radically new system with some sort of integrated global oversight. I see all sorts of authoritarian, tyrannical types licking their lips at such a thought.

There is an appeal that we all just need to live more modestly with lots of humble cooperation and generous sharing. Can we get there with lots of sound argument and global government management? Or does it also require a spiritual transformation of the heart?

Overall, I am grateful for the authors' work and hopeful idealism, and a raft of new ways of thinking about the common good, and the case they make that huge change is coming in this world for better or worse.

[Shiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a very wonderful book. One of my favorite quotes: "Degrowth is not simply a contraction of the economy, it is a project of living meaningfully, enjoying simple pleasures, sharing and relating more with others, and working less, in more equal societies." This book will be here the day we collectively resolve to move on from cold-blooded capitalism as our leading ideology.

[Leif · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly vague, unorganized, and superficial. There are more generalities here than anything else, and the proposed argument never feels more developed than "make fewer things and use less stuff". There are intelligent, well-0rganized, and well-detailed books that make the case against "growth" (for Kallis and company, never a clear answer what this means) in terms of biophysical limitations (Vaclav Smil) or cultural philosophies (Kate Soper); this is not one of them. Overall, The Case for Degrowth feels like a dashed off missive to an audience it is ultimately unconcerned with - but also whom it thinks it has already convinced (see, for example, the Q&As which end with "so you're convinced, now what?" No thanks. If I wanted self-convinced bromides, I would read mainstream opinion pieces.

[Marisol Cortez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiny pamphlet version of rich and more complicated degrowth lit that all authors are at helm of. This is perfectly good for its intended purpose of breaking down the degrowth argument on a very pragmatic level, but on a personal pleasure level I enjoy degrowth’s more complex theoretical conversations more.

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This brings up some interesting prospects considering recent events. Remember how Trump boasted great increase to the US stocks pre-2020? Even though maybe only half or so of US households own stocks? What if we considered wellbeing (COVID) and the safety of humans, and earth’s species, the climate goals instead of new growth?

I’m not an economist though some of this sounds like nutty socialist logic... - What does “3% increase” mean when inflation has always devalued money? As anyone who’s watched stocks knows it doesn’t do +3% EVERY year. The 3% increase they talk about is not actually the endless growth but a trick to encourage new systems or new business with loans that will be for money that will be worth less in the future so folks might be more apt to start a new business… which is good in a way?

They mention UBI as a non stigmatizing form of welfare for all but what if they pass that and then the people vote for higher UBI and then no one wants to work or do meaningful labor?? Basically print themselves money? Although that is arguably what Gov. and certain millionaires might be doing through taxes and dividends and loopholes already…?

How is reducing working time going to help to build up communities to be resistant to climate change risks and encourage massive new projects of workers putting up high voltage lines for increasingly renewable energy grid… to bulk up infrastructure for coming storms or high water from atmospheric-river storms... or encourage all the physicists and workers to work on the new moonshot projects for new types of energy that will be necessary for the next decades of population growth?

On p94 they say that John Gray was a “conservative philosopher” – by whose standard? John Gray (born 1799) was a central-planning socialist – or, (born 1948) a liberal heavily critiquing liberal and conservative western society. I wonder what other errors they made in the book I didn't catch.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

compelling and introductory text for degrowth theory. the pursuit of growth is a biophysical fantasy. it is relatively new - emerging during the industrial revolution - and has had profound effects on global sociopolitical imagination/commoning and ecological systems. the author's five strategies for mobilizing (GNDs without growth, universal basics, reclaiming the commons, reducing working hours, green and equalizing public finance) are pluralistic and commonsensical. while i do find the arguments of the text convincing and i am unperturbed by the need to consume/produce less, i fear the mobilizing suggestions are too gradual and disincentivizing for the messy and oligopolistic markets of many OECD countries.

i think we need concurrent and radical disruption of our surveillance and advertising markets. google and meta need to collapse (or at the least, heavy regulation--and even heavier restrictions for minors). the us spends too much on tax expenditures and proposals for fair taxation of wealthy americans/corporations need to be prioritized. buy-in for all of this is bipartisan, even if a word like "degrowth" sounds scary and triggers older americans red scare fight or flight response, the concepts are pretty universally desired. ugh, i dunno, i am constantly oscillating between hopelessness for our political system's capacity to handle change alongside impending climate disaster and the self-fulfilling prophecy that doom brings.

[Pandaduh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how you write a book like this without mentioning the contributions of those like Adele Clarke or Donna Haraway or etc. but this is perhaps because it's a practical application over theoretical? Not sure if that's the best way to say that. (Yes, I know this is through the lens of the economy but still...) That said, it's not a comprehensive guide. It's certainly accessible, readable, and general enough. It dances around "population" just as well as their edited collection. Maybe better because they aren't making it the main focus of their definition of "degrowth"? Same concerns, different vibes.

See also:
Making Kin not Population: Reconceiving Generations

[Steph Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explores the main arguments for degrowth, seeking to clarify misconceptions about the idea, and present its philosophical core, and historical roots. The authors do so in five chapters: (1) A case for degrowth; (2) sacrifices of growth; (3) making changes on the ground; (4) path-breaking reforms; and (5) strategies for mobilizations. In doing so, they seek to put forward a vision for living in a world that no longer prioritizes growth, and instead reorients lives and societies towards well-being. They argue that degrowth can be achieved through transformative strategies that allow societies to slow down by design, not by disaster. The book introduces the core tenets of degrowth for a lay, or skeptical audience.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Degrowth calls for slowing down in ways organized to minimize harm to other humans and non-humans. Degrowth seeks to liberate people’s time and energy to engage life journeys with patience, compassion, and care for self and others, rather than desperately working more and buying more to escape the pain, sadness, and frustration of finding meaning in the face of life’s vulnerabilities. Degrowth is not forced deprivation, but an aspiration to secure enough for everyone to live with dignity and without fear; to experience friendship, love, and health; to be able to give and receive care; and to enjoy leisure and nature."

I have often thought that using the GDP as a standard is so wrong. Money and spending more is not what makes a good life. Naomi Klein is another good author for this.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Case for Degrowth is not a bad book, but I wouldn’t call it a comprehensive guide to degrowth. This book I think suffers from its short length — it tries to bring up a lot of different elements to the argument for degrowth without the authors fully fleshing those ideas out. But, it is pretty readable and therefore I think it works well as an introduction to degrowth, and the specific ideas that didn’t get the in-depth analysis they deserved can easily be utilized as a jumping off point for further research.

[Emma Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easily digestible but powerful book. The authors outline what a Degrowth economy looks like and how to get there. I plan to use this book for teaching. I think it’s a must read for organizers, activists, and environmentalists as well. I do wish there were more case studies included. Also I would have liked to know more about Degrowth from the Global South. The authors did address that point in the last chapter though.

Overall, this is probably the best thing I’ve read on Degrowth.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro que debería leer todo el mundo. O cambiamos pronto de modelo económico y hábitos de consumo, o estamos perdidos, y aquí se ofrece un enfoque que aún ni se plantea en el debate político (y apenas coletazos en el social) pero que debería difundirse y guiar el curso a seguir en los años que vienen.

[Sarah W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is a great introduction to the degrowth movement and could be useful for unifying various degrowth-related movements and communities. It was accessible and clear, and balanced describing issues and visions with some easy-to-digest ways to approach and work for change.

[Vera Zon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty basic little book, would definitely recommend this as a first read for someone who doesn't know much about degrowth. For someone who already knows the basics it's still a nice and inspiring summary.

[Fódhla · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite degrowth-related books. This book makes a strong case for why we need to degrow and achieves this concisely. It is perfectly short for anyone wanting to learn about degrowth while not being overwhelmed by conceptual-economic-overload :)

[Alan Eyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Case made ( not hard, it is pretty obvious)

[Marie Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t for me - nothing new here. But then I’ve been around for a while, so if you’re young and curious about the taken for granted premises of the economic system, then read it.

[Scott Would · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, brief primer on "degrowth." Clarifies misconceptions and contains lots of references for further reading.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A basic and simple introduction to the idea of degrowth. Like the idea but hate the name!

[Daniella Pozo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do less!

I really appreciated reading all of these ideas although I still feel lost in the political sauce.

[mkmk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and short read; a great introduction to degrowth! It offers real policy and reform ideas and presents arguments against growth, all based on research and common sense.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A radical idea unless you’ve ever truly stopped to think through the myth of infinite growth, in which case it is common sense. But I think that’s the point ;)

[Raegel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being completely new to the subject matter of degrowth, I did wish that the book went into a little bit more detail about how existing communities presently practise styles of living which echo the sentiments of degrowth. Although I understand the book is supposed to be a relatively light read and an introduction to the topic, I did feel that most chapters felt a bit lacklustre in terms of analysis. It seemed as though the authors spent much time 'setting the scene' but the arguments never felt fully formed but, instead, rushed.

However, the book presents sound, well-researched points throughout which did not go unnoticed! Despite finding it not the smoothest read, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to get a big-picture idea on the topic.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have already read a couple of books on deep green politics/environmentalism, and it's a concept that I thoroughly endorse and believe in. So the concept of degrowth, was not a completely foreign topic for me, but something that I wanted to learn more about. Specifically, to be able to talk to other people about more intelligently. There were some really good parts, and some parts that definitely made you think and parts that were inspiring, but I found it a bit hard to follow. It will definitely help me to speak more intelligently about degrowth, but one of the main thoughts I walked away with was, "okay, what else has been written about degrowth?". It didn't satisfy my desire to learn more about degrowth.

The concept is so simple that I wonder why it's been so hard for so many people to see. A strength/wellbeing/etc of a nation should not be measured in GDP and GDP growth. It's impossible for anything that requires resources to grow infinitely in a system that has limited resources, it's as simple as that. We have been trained to think that a slipping GDP is essentially doomsday. We're going to slip into another great depression, and everyone is going to lose their jobs. It's also became something of a self fulfilling prophecy, because people panic when the GDP starts to go down, people "divert their investments" or pull out of the stock market entirely, which does cause a crash and potentially a depression. Not only is it impossible and undesirable to maintain infinite growth, as we get more and more growth the harder it becomes to keep that growth going as resources become more scarce. On top of this, rich nations have the belief that GDP growth is universally good for everyone and will help unemployment, but neither is true. The only people who are really benefiting from GDP growth are those who are already rich. It only marginally helps the lower classes and unemployed.

Instead of using GDP growth to do things like increase worker wages, become more environmentally friendly, social good, reducing worker hours; instead companies reinvest their gains into making more money. The goal of making more money is just to make more money. It's a continuous cycle aiming for infinite growth.

I think that the book did a great job of explaining the why, and even to some extent what it would look like after degrowth, what it didn't do enough of was explain the how. They definitely did have some suggestions on steps forward to take, but nothing that I was excited to run out and do the next day, and mostly common sense. A big theme was the benefit that under-represented people would have in a degrowth environment and making allies with them. Those that are the most under-represented and powerless have the most to gain in fact.

On the other hand, unfortunately, those with the most to lose in a degrowth system are the people who might actually have the ability to start enacting change. It sounds like such a great and amazing idea, but I just find it so hard to envision happening in America. Our politics here are so divided that there seems to be almost no middle ground and with our echo chamber social media, we just become further and further entrenched into our own beliefs. It would either take a significant uprising from the people everywhere in the country, or a radical politician from almost certainly a third party to gain a significant amount of power. Neither of which seem very likely.

The book was also far too short. I'm glad that I was able to easily read it in under a month, but it was only 140 pages and a significant amount of those pages are citings at the end of the chapters, but also an index that's at the end of the book.

This book does a good job of reinforcing the why and potentially what our planet would look like post-degrowth. It gives good arguments as to how the system would work and the arguments seem sound and it definitely seems like it could work. The part that was a bit hazy was how do we get from where we currently are, to there. I'm glad that I can speak more competently about degrowth after reading this book. I can speak on why it's necessary, the benefits it would bring, and how it would work, but without the how we get there, it seems like almost a dream.