Post-Growth

The beginning of the 21st century is marked by three major crises: inequality, ecological crises and the crisis of democracy. The relentless pursuit of growth and the emphasis on gross domestic product (GDP) tend to obscure these crises, in which social and environmental well-being are absent.

Post-growth proposes to develop an alternative to these dead ends by building just institutions. A kind of “well-being transition”, it proposes to break away from the logic of growth and to implement a series of simple, immediately applicable reforms that can bring about this transition at all levels of government and within businesses. It is not just a question of changing economic indicators, but of a profound change in our vision, our values and our collective resolve.

During the first session of the Rendez-vous Salariés-Chercheurs organised by the Institute for Environmental Transformations in October 2024 as part of the TIERED project (*), Éloi Laurent, senior economist at the OFCE and author of "Sortir de la croissance", spoke with Lilyana Yankova, educational engineer at the Institute for Skills and Innovation.

Selected references by Eloi Laurent

Définitions and concepts

KUZNETS, Simon. Modern Economic Growth: Findings and Reflections (Lecture to the memory of Alfred Nobel, December 11, 1971). En ligne : https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1971/kuznets/lecture/  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

LAURENT, Éloi. « Ce que l’économie savait, ce qu’elle a oublié, ce qu’elle peut encore nous apprendre » Économie pour le XXIe siècle Manuel des transitions justes. Paris. La Découverte. 2023, p. 35‑56. (Grands repères Manuels). En ligne : https://shs.cairn.info/economie-pour-le-xxie-siecle--9782348077524-page-35  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

LAURENT, Éloi. Sortir de la croissance, mode d’emploi. Paris. Éditions les Liens qui libèrent. 2021. 256 p. (Poche+). Available at the library (printed version)

The economy of well-being, between health and cooperation

LAURENT, Éloi. Coopérer et se faire confiance : par tous les temps. Paris. Rue de l’échiquier. 2024. 96 p. (Les incisives).  Available at the library (printed version)

LAURENT, Éloi. Et si la santé guidait le monde ? L’espérance de vie vaut mieux que la croissance. Paris. Éditions les Liens qui libèrent. 2021. 208 p. (Poche +). Available at the library (printed version)

Post-growth trends and their practical applications

GOUGH, Ian. « Climate change and sustainable welfare: the centrality of human needs », Cambridge Journal of Economics. 1 septembre 2015, vol.39 no 5. p. 1191‑1214. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bev039   [accessed on 6 December 2024].

GOUGH, Ian, Stefan Horn, Charlotte Rogers, et al. « Decarbonising housing fairly: a sufficiency approach ». 2024. En ligne : https://www.socialeurope.eu/decarbonising-housing-fairly-a-sufficiency-approach  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

LAURENT, Éloi. Sufficiency as a confluence for post-growth streams - Report on the integrated analysis of the different schools of thought. [s.n.]. 2024. En ligne : https://zenodo.org/records/13682536 [accessed on 6 December 2024].

Post-growth – REAL – A Post-Growth Deal. En ligne : https://www.realpostgrowth.eu/  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

The Donut Action Lab (DEAL). En ligne : https://doughnuteconomics.org/  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

Wellbeing Economy Alliance. En ligne : https://weall.org/  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

Conferences and research projects

JENSEN, Liselotte. Beyond growth: Pathways towards sustainable prosperity in the EU. EPRS - European Parliamentary Research Service. 2023. En ligne : https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/747108/EPRS_STU(2023)747108_EN.pdf [accessed on 6 December 2024].

Beyond Growth 2023 Conference (15-17 May 2023). 2023. En ligne : https://www.beyond-growth-2023.eu/  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

Agora de la décroissance prospère : un moment d’échanges et de réflexion innovant. En ligne : https://www.sciencespo.fr/ecole-management-impact/fr/actualites/agora-de-la-decroissance-prospere-l-emi-un-moment-dechanges-et-de-reflexion-innovant  [accessed on 6 December 2024].

(*) The project “Transforming Interdisciplinary Education and Research for Evolving Democracies” (TIERED), which gave rise to the Institute for Environmental Transformations, is a winner of the Excellence call under the 4th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. Sciences Po, together with its partners, the CNRS, INRIA, INED, INSERM, IFREMER, INALCO, Université Paris Cité and IDDRI, receive state aid managed by the National Research Agency under France 2030, reference ANR-22-EXES-0014.

Organising Committee for the Rendez-vous salariés-chercheurs : Marie-Hélène Caitucoli (Department of Studies and Partnerships), Jean-Philippe Cointet (médialab), Nathalie Gastone (Institute of Environmental Transformations), Carly Hafner (Open Institute for Digital Transformations), Charlotte Halpern (CEE & LIEPP), Maxence La Violette (Department of Human Resources), Héloïse Lammens (Department of Sustainability and Campus Life), Delphine Lereculeur (Department of Resources and Scientific Informations).