François Schneider

What is Degrowth? From an Activist Slogan to a Social Movement

Degrowth is the literal translation of ‘decroissance’, a French word meaning reduction. Launched by activists in 2001 as a challenge to growth, it became a missile word that sparks a contentious debate on the diagnosis and prognosis of our society. ‘Degrowth’ became an interpretative frame for a new (and old) social movement where numerous streams of critical ideas and political actions converge. It is an attempt to re-politicise debates about desired socio-environmental futures and an example of an activist-led science now consolidating into a concept in academic literature. This article discusses the definition, ori gins, evolution, practices and construction of degrowth. The main objective is to explain degrowth’s multiple sources and strategies in order to improve its basic definition and avoid reductionist criticisms and misconceptions. To this end, the article presents degrowth’s main intellectual sources as well as its diverse strategies (oppositional activism, building of alternatives and political proposals) and actors (practitioners, activists and scientists). Finally, the article argues that the movement’s diversity does not detract from the existence of a common path.

Climate change, happiness and income from a degrowth perspective

The idea of growth goes beyond a mere representation of an increase of gross domestic product (GDP). Growth takes place in terms of monetary flows, financial assets and transactions, capital accumulation; in terms of aggregate material throughput, infrastructure, desires, efficiency and productivity. It is equally promoted by those who call for austerity as well as those who advocate Keynesianism. The final result is often the same. Problems are shifted in space and time. The growth fetish, however, will not go away by ignoring it, but by creating the necessary political, social and economic conditions for managing and living well without growth. Degrowth, unlike what the term may suggest to the uninitiated, is not a technical economic term, meaning the opposite of growth. While it denounces GDP growth, its focus lies on changing the context and the units of measurement, or reference. The thorny goal of reducing consumption within degrowth is driven by principles of political organization in the spirit of caring for the commons, voluntary simplicity, and conviviality. Our hypothesis is that there is little to lose from embarking on a degrowth trajectory. On the contrary, only by dropping the growth fetish (now) can emissions be stabilized and extreme events prevented from menacing livelihoods. We empirically demonstrate here that the discomforts associated with living in a state of climatic instability cannot be offset by monetary growth. Moreover, well-being in a context of degrowth could be higher, especially when our terms of social reference change and our public goods and commons, or opportunities for accessing alternative networks of provisioning and work, are provided for.