Prosperity Without Growth

Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet
Detail of the cover of the report.
Author Tim Jackson
Original title Prosperity without growth? The transition to a sustainable economy (report of the Sustainable Development Commission)[1]
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Subject Sustainability
Genre Non-fiction
Published 2009
ISBN 978-1844078943

Prosperity Without Growth (2009) is a book by author and economist Tim Jackson. It was originally released as a report by the Sustainable Development Commission.[1] The study rapidly became the most downloaded report in the Commission's nine-year history when it was launched earlier in 2009. The report was later that year fully revised and published by Earthscan.

Description

By arguing that "prosperity – in any meaningful sense of the word – transcends material concerns",[2] the book summarizes the evidence showing that, beyond a certain point, growth does not increase human well-being. Prosperity without Growth analyses the complex relationships between economic growth, environmental crises and social recession. It proposes a route to a sustainable economy, and argues for a redefinition of "prosperity" in light of the evidence on what really contributes to people’s well-being.[1] "The clearest message from the financial crisis of 2008 is that that our current model of economic success is fundamentally flawed. For the advanced economies of the Western world, prosperity without growth is no longer a utopian dream. It is a financial and ecological necessity."[3]

The book was described by Le Monde as "one of the most outstanding pieces of environmental economics literature in recent years".[4][5] and the sociologist Anthony Giddens referred to it as "a must-read for anyone concerned with issues of climate change and sustainability - bold, original and comprehensive."

Structure

The report Prosperity without growth? The transition to a sustainable economy is organised in eleven chapters:[1]

  1. Introduction
  2. The age of irresponsibility
  3. Redefining prosperity
  4. The dilemma of growth
  5. The myth of decoupling
  6. Confronting structure
  7. Keynesianism and the 'Green New Deal'
  8. Macro-economics for sustainability
  9. Flourishing – within limits
  10. Governance for prosperity
  11. Steps towards a sustainable economy

Translations

Prosperity without Growth has been translated into fourteen languages including Swedish (Välfärd utan tillväxt: så skapar vi ett hållbart samhälle, 2011), German (Wohlstand ohne Wachstum, 2011), French (Prospérité sans croissance, 2010), Greek (Ευημερία χωρίς ανάπτυξη, 2012), Spanish (Prosperidad sin crecimiento, 2011), Italian (Prosperità senza crescita, 2011), Dutch (Welvaart zonder groei, 2010) and Chinese (无增长的繁荣，2011).

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 4 Prosperity without growth? The transition to a sustainable economy (PDF), report of the Sustainable Development Commission, March 2009 (page visited on 16 August 2016).
  2. ↑ Has Western capitalism failed?, Tim Jackson for BBC, 22 September 2011 (page visited on 25 May 2012).
  3. ↑ Prosperity without Growth?, report summary (page visited on 25 May 2012).
  4. ↑ Routledge Website for Prosperity without growth
  5. ↑ Hervé Kempf, « Notre modèle actuel de croissance crée des dommages irréversibles sur l'environnement », Le Monde, 3 January 2011 (page visited on 16 August 2016).

See also

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