Introduction
Modern economics is based on the flawed assumption that GDP measures human well-being, when in reality it only reflects the health of capitalism. Jason Hickel proposes a transition toward an "economy of life reproduction," where success is defined not by accumulation, but by the quality of existence within planetary boundaries. This article deconstructs the growth dogma and outlines how to replace it with a model focused on justice, resource regeneration, and a new definition of freedom.
The growth lie test: debunking political illusions
The growth lie test verifies public policies: only those that improve well-being without increasing the material-energy footprint and are democratically justified without referencing GDP pass.
The dictatorship of GDP vs. the real boundaries of well-being
GDP is a "blind accountant" that sums up remedial transactions (e.g., treating pollution-related illnesses) as profit. True metrics must be absolute and intersubjective, defining the common good instead of market accumulation.
The balance of reproduction vs. extraction in national accounts
New national accounts divide spending into the reproduction balance (health, education, care) and the extraction balance (armaments, speculation). The goal is to systematically shift resources toward life support.
Functional innovation vs. scale innovation: the transition regime
True innovation is functional innovation—improving quality of life while radically reducing resource consumption. Increasing the scale of sales alone, without quantitative limits, only deepens the crisis.
Social justice: an alternative to growth
Redistribution is a key climate tool. It acts like a thermostat, lowering the pressure for status consumption and reducing demand for unnecessary materials. Justice becomes the antidote to the growth imperative.
Shorter working hours: a stabilizer for a non-growth economy
Shortening the work week allows for full employment with lower material production. Time regains its status as a primary good, essential for care, education, and recovery.
The demonetization of services: the foundation of an abundance economy
Universal access to common services (health, transport, housing) lowers individual demand for money. The purchasing power of well-being grows, and demand is no longer driven by panicked status aspirations.
Debt reform: a condition for stability without growth
Budget stability is measured by the lack of resource destruction, not by the deficit. It is necessary to cancel debts (especially for the Global South), which force economies into constant, destructive exploitation.
Post-growth geopolitics: security without expansion
Geopolitical resilience does not stem from the speed of capital circulation, but from a systemic reduction in demand for raw materials. Quality of life and leisure time become new indicators of the model's global attractiveness.
Decolonizing the imagination: the end of growth hegemony
Decolonization involves designing networks of interdependence and technology transfers instead of barriers. This protects poorer nations from interest-rate colonialism and the unfair burden of transformation costs.
Negative emissions: a technological climate gamble
Relying on negative emission technologies (BECCS) is a gamble that shifts risk onto future generations. The precautionary principle requires reduction at the source, rather than delaying action in the name of further expansion.
The legal personhood of nature: a new standard for dispute resolution
The procedural personhood of nature allows the interests of ecosystems to be represented in legal proceedings. This shifts the burden of proof from immediate economic benefits to the long-term stability of the biosphere.
The anthropology of sufficiency: a new definition of freedom
Freedom in a post-growth world is not unlimited choice, but the reduction of compulsion. A free person is one who can recognize the threshold of sufficiency, beyond which excess becomes a burden and a constraint.
The ethics of finitude: a moral compass for post-growth culture
Accepting the finitude of resources and our own existence restores maturity to culture. Renouncing infinite material expansion opens space for infinite growth in consciousness, relationships, and meaning.
Summary
Can we redefine success in a world of finite resources? True abundance is born where material excess gives way to depth of experience. The transition to a well-being regime is not only an ecological necessity but an opportunity to regain control over the planet's future.
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