Critiques of growth : an introduction

Abstract

This book synthesises the main criticisms levelled against the growth paradigm. It is the first collaborative publication from the PROSPERA project from a team of researchers striving to address the important dilemmas that face Science, Technology and Innovation within the context of a post-growth world. Innovating without growth means using interdisciplinary thinking to reimagine a new future: a future sensitive to the needs of the different stakeholders who will inhabit it, and able to address the economic, ecological, sociopolitical, and genderbased inequalities that affect us all. This is what the present book offers: an interdisciplinary literature review of how growth has been critiqued from various theoretical perspectives. It is the baseline from which we will interrogate the futures which might take shape if we harness technological and scientific advances for something other than growth alone. Our book is structured into 8 chapters linking contemporary critiques of the growth paradigm with different theoretical approaches, namely: Ecological Economics, Political Ecology, Eco-Marxism, Post-structuralism, Post-development, Science and Technology, Spatial and Urban Studies, and Feminist critiques. The aim of each section is to provide a comprehensive overview of the relevant literature and to articulate some suitable entry points for further exploration. Each section can be read separately, although we encourage readers to explore the interconnections between sections using the hyperlinks inserted in the text. We hope this book can be a guide for students, early-stage researchers, consolidated academics, and practitioners from a variety of different disciplines who are interested in approaching a critical understanding of the modern religion of ‘growth’.