We need to break free from the capitalist economy. Degrowth
gives us the tools to bend its bars.
Economic growth isn’t working, and it cannot be made to work.
Offering a counter-history of how economic growth emerged in the
context of colonialism, fossil-fueled industrialization, and
capitalist modernity, The Future Is Degrowth argues that the
ideology of growth conceals the rising inequalities and ecological
destructions associated with capitalism, and points to desirable
alternatives to it.
Not only in society at large, but also on the left, we are held
captive by the hegemony of growth. Even proposals for emancipatory
Green New Deals or postcapitalism base their utopian hopes on the
development of productive forces, on redistributing the fruits of
economic growth and technological progress. Yet growing evidence
shows that continued economic growth cannot be made compatible with
sustaining life and is not necessary for a good life for all.
This book provides a vision for postcapitalism beyond growth.
Building on a vibrant field of research, it discusses the political
economy and the politics of a non-growing economy. It charts a path
forward through policies that democratise the economy, “now-topias”
that create free spaces for experimentation, and counter-hegemonic
movements that make it possible to break with the logic of growth.
Degrowth perspectives offer a way to step off the treadmill of an
alienating, expansionist, and hierarchical system.
A handbook and a manifesto, The Future Is Degrowth is a
must-read for all interested in charting a way beyond the current
crises.