Is there an alternative to “growth, growth, growth ? It is the dominant economic model, but an increasing number of experts are arguing no growth or degrowth should be the goal. What is no growth and is it a viable way forward when much of the world is hooked on consumption?
The growth debate has been around for centuries but it was given renewed focus in in the early 1970s with modelling that predicted the world would face environmental and economic collapse if growth continued at existing rates. No growth or steady state economics became a central tenet of a new political party, set up in February 1973, whose founders argued the relentless pursuit of growth was unsustainable and endangered the future of people and planet. Fifty years on, this online event marks the founding anniversary of the Green Party of England and Wales. LSE library is now home to the party’s archive, some of which is on display at the LSE Library’s exhibition: Clothing this Naked Earth: Politics and the Planet (Feb – Aug 2023):
Speakers
Molly Scott Cato is an economist, activist and was Green MEP for the south west of England between 2014 and 2020. Currently the Green Party spokesperson on Finance and Economics, she is the author of several highly regarded books on Green economics,
Paul Ekins is Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy at UCL and an expert in the field of sustainable economics. A leading member of the Green Party in the 1970s and 80s, he went on to set up international NGO Forum for the Future with Sara Parkin and Jonathon Porritt.
Caroline Lucas is Green MP for Brighton Pavilion and a former party leader. The winner of numerous political awards, she is a leading advocate of the Green New Deal which calls for transformative economic change to address inequality and the climate emergency.
Tim Jackson is professor of sustainable development at the University of Surrey and director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP). He has been at the forefront of the global debate on sustainability for three decades and is the author of Prosperity without Growth – Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow.
Chair
Dr Liam F. Beiser-McGrath an Assistant Professor in International Social and Public Policy in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. They are also the organiser of EPG Online, an online seminar series covering environmental politics and governance. Their research primarily focuses on the political feasibility of efforts to tackle climate change and environmental problems, using experimental research designs and machine learning.
The British Library of Political and Economic Science (@LSELibrary) was founded in 1896, a year after the London School of Economics and Political Science. It has been based in the Lionel Robbins Building since 1978 and houses many world class collections, including The Women's Library.
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