{{Short description|Beyond optimum economic growth}} {{Other uses|Zero growth (disambiguation){{!}}Zero growth}} {{Ecological economics|Related topics}} '''Post-growth''' is an umbrella term that refers to a broad family of economic, ecological, and political perspectives responding to the limits-to-growth dilemma <ref name="Post Growth Institute">{{cite web |last=Post Growth Institute |title=Post Growth Institute homepage |url=http://postgrowth.org/ |work=Post Growth Institute}}</ref>—the recognition that infinite economic growth is biophysically unsustainable on a finite planet.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blühdorn |first1=Ingolfur |title=Post-capitalism, post-growth, post-consumerism? Eco-political hopes beyond sustainability |journal=Global Discourse |date=2017 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=42–61 |doi=10.1080/23269995.2017.1300415 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paulson |first1=Lily |last2=Büchs |first2=Milena |title=Public acceptance of post-growth: Factors and implications for post-growth strategy |journal=[[Futures (journal)|Futures]] |date=2022 |volume=143 |article-number=103020 |doi=10.1016/j.futures.2022.103020 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Daly>{{cite book|last=Daly|first=Herman|title=Beyond Growth: the economics of sustainable development |url=https://archive.org/details/beyondgrowth00herm |url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=Beacon Press|location=Washington D.C.|isbn=978-0-8070-4708-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/beyondgrowth00herm/page/37 37]}}</ref><ref name=Jackson>{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=Tim|title=Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet|year=2009|publisher=Sustainable Development Commission|isbn=978-1-84407-894-3|pages=3–11}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Crownshaw |first1=Timothy |last2=Morgan |first2=Caitlin |last3=Adams |first3=Alison |last4=Sers |first4=Martin |last5=Britto dos Santos |first5=Natália |last6=Damiano |first6=Alice |last7=Gilbert |first7=Laura |last8=Yahya Haage |first8=Gabriel |last9=Horen Greenford |first9=Daniel |title=Over the horizon: Exploring the conditions of a post-growth world |journal=The Anthropocene Review |date=2019 |volume=6 |issue=1-2 |pages=117–141 |doi=10.1177/2053019618820350 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=van Woerden |first1=Winne Fleur |last2=van de Pas |first2=Remco |last3=Curtain |first3=Joel |title=Post-growth economics: a must for planetary health justice |journal=[[Globalization and Health]] |date=2023 |volume=19 |issue=1 |page=55 |doi=10.1186/s12992-023-00957-2 |doi-access=free|pmc=10410890 }}</ref> Central to post-growth thinking is the shift of the focus out of GDP growth as the main goal of the economy. Instead, well-being becomes the main objective. Post-growth puts emphasis on decoupling societal well-being from economic growth, advocating for the possibility of prosperity beyond growth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kallis |first=Giorgos |last2=Hickel |first2=Jason |last3=O'Neill |first3=Daniel W |last4=Jackson |first4=Tim |last5=Victor |first5=Peter A |last6=Raworth |first6=Kate |last7=Schor |first7=Juliet B |last8=Steinberger |first8=Julia K |last9=Ürge-Vorsatz |first9=Diana |date=2025-01-01 |title=Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519624003103 |journal=The Lancet Planetary Health |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=e62–e78 |doi=10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00310-3 |issn=2542-5196|doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.14018/26563 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
Scholars define post-growth in different ways. Some describe it as comprising two main categories: [[degrowth]] (a stance advocating for a deliberate and equitable reduction in material consumption and economic activity) and [[agrowth]] (an agnostic stance towards economic growth, holding that policymakers should remain neutral about GDP growth because it may have either positive or negative effects on environmental or social objectives).<ref name=":20" /> According to others it serves as an umbrella term encompassing research in [[Doughnut economics|Doughnut]] and [[wellbeing economy|wellbeing economics]], [[steady-state economics]], and [[degrowth]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kallis |first=Giorgos |last2=Hickel |first2=Jason |last3=O'Neill |first3=Daniel W. |last4=Jackson |first4=Tim |last5=Victor |first5=Peter A. |last6=Raworth |first6=Kate |last7=Schor |first7=Juliet B. |last8=Steinberger |first8=Julia K. |last9=Ürge-Vorsatz |first9=Diana |date=2025-01-01 |title=Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00310-3/fulltext |journal=The Lancet Planetary Health |language=English |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=e62–e78 |doi=10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00310-3 |issn=2542-5196 |pmid=39855235|doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.14018/26563 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
A systematic review of academic literature found that the distinction between degrowth and post-growth is often unclear, with many authors using post-growth as a catch-all term to avoid the strong connotations associated with degrowth.<ref name="savin" />
== Post-growth proposals==
German economist [[Niko Paech]], professor at the [[University of Oldenburg]], has argued for reducing economic output and promoting self-sufficiency and regional exchange. In his book Liberation from Affluence, he proposes measures such as a 20-hour working week, the use of regional currencies, and halting large-scale infrastructure projects including motorways and airports.<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news|last=Jacobs|first=Sherelle|author-link=Sherelle Jacobs|title=Germany's 'post growth' movement|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/19/germany-post-growth-movement|access-date=6 January 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 September 2012}}</ref>
In his work ''[[Prosperity Without Growth]]'' (Routledge, 2017), the economist [[Tim Jackson (economist)|Tim Jackson]] demonstrates that building a 'post-growth' economy is a "precise, definable and meaningful task". Starting from clear first principles, he sets out the dimensions of that task: the nature of enterprise; the quality of our working lives; the structure of investment; and the role of the money supply.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.routledge.com/Prosperity-without-Growth-Foundations-for-the-Economy-of-Tomorrow-2nd/Jackson/p/book/9781138935419|title=Prosperity Without Growth|website=Rutledge|access-date=11 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.greattransition.org/publication/how-to-kick-the-growth-addiction|title=How to kick the growth addiction|website=Great Transition Initiative|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425062830/http://www.greattransition.org/publication/how%2Dto%2Dkick%2Dthe%2Dgrowth%2Daddiction|archive-date=2017-04-25|access-date=11 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jackson |first1=Tim |title=The Post-growth Challenge: Secular Stagnation, Inequality and the Limits to Growth |journal=[[Ecological Economics (journal)|Ecological Economics]] |date=2019 |volume=156 |pages=236–246 |doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.10.010}}</ref>
Paradigmatic post-growth policies are working time reductions, [[universal basic income]], [[Wealth tax|wealth taxes]], [[Carbon tax|carbon taxes]] combined with strong wealth redistribution and [[universal basic services]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Büchs |first=Milena |date=2021-11-01 |title=Sustainable welfare: How do universal basic income and universal basic services compare? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092180092100210X |journal=Ecological Economics |volume=189 |article-number=107152 |doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107152 |issn=0921-8009|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kallis |first=Giorgos |last2=Hickel |first2=Jason |last3=O'Neill |first3=Daniel W. |last4=Jackson |first4=Tim |last5=Victor |first5=Peter A. |last6=Raworth |first6=Kate |last7=Schor |first7=Juliet B. |last8=Steinberger |first8=Julia K. |last9=Ürge-Vorsatz |first9=Diana |date=2025-01-01 |title=Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00310-3/fulltext |journal=The Lancet Planetary Health |language=English |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=e62–e78 |doi=10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00310-3 |issn=2542-5196 |pmid=39855235|doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.14018/26563 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>.
==Academic reviews==
A 2024 systematic review of academic literature concluded a number of studies use the term post-growth to express views associated with degrowth, and some leading degrowth scholars have employed it in their own work (e.g., Hickel et al., 2021). While post-growth generally refers to prioritising sustainability and social justice over economic growth, degrowth goes further by advocating a deliberate reduction in the scale of economic activity to achieve these aims. In recent years, the distinction between the two terms has become less clear, with many authors on degrowth using the catch-term post-growth, possibly to avoid resistance against the strong connotation of degrowth.<ref name="savin">{{Cite journal |last1=Savin |first1=Ivan |last2=van den Bergh |first2=Jeroen |date=2024-12-01 |title=Reviewing studies of degrowth: Are claims matched by data, methods and policy analysis? |journal=[[Ecological Economics (journal)|Ecological Economics]] |volume=226 |article-number=108324 |doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108324 |issn=0921-8009 |doi-access=free|hdl=1871.1/c67d1da2-4c62-4e4c-ae4a-06f215317b25 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
A 2025 review in ''The Lancet Planetary Health'' surveyed 201 recent studies to assess the field of post-growth research. The authors highlighted advances in ecological [[Macroeconomic model|macroeconomic models]], including testing post-growth policies, addressing GDP-linked welfare dependencies, and identifying systems to reduce resource use while enhancing wellbeing. The review is authored by leading experts across multiple subfields of post-growth research and highlights key recent contributions without adhering to traditional systematic review criteria, such as requiring explicit use of 'post-growth' terminology. According to the review, ecological macroeconomic models used in post-growth research could be enhanced in four main respects: by including a broader set of environmental and wellbeing indicators; by adapting and calibrating them for geographic and economic contexts beyond Europe and North America; by incorporating international dimensions such as trade, capital flows, and currency movements; and by extending the approach to global climate–economy models. The authors also note that while structural factors may make a post-growth transition politically challenging, relatively little attention has been given to its geopolitical dimensions, including potential risks for early-adopting countries such as [[capital flight]] or loss of geopolitical influence. They further identify a gap in knowledge about the political pathways that could make post-growth transitions feasible, especially in terms of how shifts in international governance and global power structures might create or restrict opportunities for post-growth and sovereign development.<ref name=":15">{{Cite journal |last1=Kallis |first1=Giorgos |last2=Hickel |first2=Jason |last3=O'Neill |first3=Daniel W |last4=Jackson |first4=Tim |last5=Victor |first5=Peter A |last6=Raworth |first6=Kate |last7=Schor |first7=Juliet B |last8=Steinberger |first8=Julia K |last9=Ürge-Vorsatz |first9=Diana |date=2025-01-01 |title=Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries |journal=The Lancet Planetary Health |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=e62–e78 |doi=10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00310-3 |issn=2542-5196|doi-access=free |pmid=39855235 |hdl=20.500.14018/26563 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
==Public and expert opinion== A 2023 study of nearly 800 climate policy researchers around the world found that 73% support post-growth (45% agrowth and 28% degrowth).<ref name=":20">{{Cite journal |last1=King |first1=Lewis C. |last2=Savin |first2=Ivan |last3=Drews |first3=Stefan |date=November 2023 |title=Shades of green growth scepticism among climate policy researchers |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01198-2 |journal=Nature Sustainability |language=en |volume=6 |issue=11 |pages=1316–1320 |doi=10.1038/s41893-023-01198-2 |bibcode=2023NatSu...6.1316K |issn=2398-9629|hdl=10630/34655 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> A pan-European survey reported that 61% of respondents favor post-growth approaches.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Paulson |first1=Lily |last2=Büchs |first2=Milena |date=2022-10-01 |title=Public acceptance of post-growth: Factors and implications for post-growth strategy |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328722001203 |journal=Futures |volume=143 |article-number=103020 |doi=10.1016/j.futures.2022.103020 |issn=0016-3287|doi-access=free }}</ref> In a representative survey of Spanish citizens, Drews and van den Bergh (2016) found that a majority regarded economic growth and environmental sustainability as compatible ([[green growth]]), about one-third preferred either disregarding economic growth as a policy goal (agrowth) or halting it altogether (degrowth).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Drews |first1=Stefan |last2=Van Den Bergh |first2=Jeroen C. J. M. |title=Public views on economic growth, the environment and prosperity: Results of a questionnaire survey |journal=Global Environmental Change |volume=39 |pages=1–14 |year=2016 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378016300371 |access-date=11 August 2025}}</ref>
== See also == {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * [[Agrowth]] * [[Club of Rome]] * [[Deep ecology]] * [[Degrowth]] * [[Ecological economics]] * [[Genuine progress indicator]] * [[Happiness economics]] * [[Humanistic economics]] * ''[[The Limits to Growth]]'' * [[Participatory economics]] * [[Political ecology]] * [[Post-consumerism]] * ''[[Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World]]'' * ''[[Prosperity Without Growth]]'' * [[Slow movement (culture)|Slow Movement]] * [[Steady-state economy]] * ''[[The Path to Degrowth in Overdeveloped Countries]]'' * [[Tim Jackson (economist)]] * [[Traditional trades]] * [[Uneconomic growth]] * [[Universal Basic Income]] {{div col end}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Economic growth]] [[Category:Economics of sustainability]] [[Category:Social economy]]