"Post-growth economies" is a collective term for concepts, initiatives and economic forms that explicitly turn away from the prevailing material growth-oriented paradigm. In particular, practices and actions are questioned that place the focus of economic policy on the gross domestic product and thus as a measure of social prosperity.
The members of the working group "Post-Growth Economies" of the Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (ARL) wrote a position paper that classifies the international post-growth debate. What relevance does this have for spatial development and spatial science research? Concrete proposals are made for a post-growth orientation in planning, spatial research and university teaching. A distinction is made between changes that can be achieved in the short term and measures that can be designed for the medium to long term.
Post-growth economics is not synonymous with recession or declining economic performance. Rather, this discourse combines diverse positions, from degrowth to growth independence. The Wuppertal Institute has been involved in this line of research since its foundation and has introduced concepts such as sufficiency. To date, "green economy" strategies, which mainly focus on efficiency gains through technological innovations, have not been able to achieve an absolute decrease in global resource consumption. The aim is both to question the sustainability of growth-oriented developments and to consider existing counter-designs and alternative models.
In the context of current post-growth debates, the working group, which also includes Dr. Benjamin Best, researcher in the Structural Change and Innovation Research Unit at the Wuppertal Institute, has made observations on the various areas of limits to growth, spatial understanding or alternative concepts, among others.
The position paper is available free of charge via the link below.