Beyond Growth

Beyond-growth

The world is plagued by many environmental and social problems. Climate and nature crises, rising inequalities (with countries and between the global north and global south) and polarization are just some of the issues with which societies are grappling with. Many scholars relate these problems to the economic system and the constant drive to growth the economy and the profits of companies and finance.

There is a renewed interest in “beyond-growth” paradigms such as degrowth, green growth and Doughnut Economics. Fundamentally these discussions are all about achieving inclusive and sustainable well-being, but they differ significantly in their proposals. Given the many ecological and social crises of our time, the discussion could not be more urgent.

Yet similar warnings about the “limits to growth” have been around for many decades. It is not sufficient to simply articulate the problems or suggest policy solutions. These are often know and have been repeated many times. The main problem is one of implementation: the available diagnosis and solutions are not sufficiently adopted. Why is this the case?

This course will provide students with scientific tools and insights which will help them develop their ideas about how to work towards concrete implementation of post-growth ideas. This will require knowledge of the scientific and empirical literature as well as an understanding of the role of institutions and narratives in shaping society.

This course is part of the joint degree MSc Industrial Ecology, offered by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. More information about the course is published in the online study guide of Leiden University