ORGANIZING FOR THE
POST-GROWTH ECONOMY
ephemera: theory & politics in organization
Conference organizers: Ole Bjerg, Christian Garmann
Johnsen, Bent Meier Sørensen and Lena Olaison
Conference date: 8-9 of May 2014
Conference venue: Copenhagen
Business School, Denmark
Perpetual economic growth is an underlying assumption of the
contemporary capitalist organization of society. The idea of growth is embedded
not only in the corpus of economic thought but also in the institutions of the
economy (Binswanger, 2013; Gorz, 2012). More recently, entrepreneurship,
innovation and creativity have been seen as possible ways to solve the current
economic and environmental crisis as well as to generate growth (Schaper,
2002). This is the case because entrepreneurship and innovation are portrayed
as seeds of new initiatives and ideas that will boost economic development
while simultaneously reduce its impact on the climate. Such a belief has
produced new markets, such as carbon markets, and an emerging ‘climate
capitalism’ (Böhm, Murtola and Spoelstra, 2012). At the heart of this logic is
a faith in the individual economic actor, not least the entrepreneur, as a
gifted individual with unique abilities (Shane, 2003). And it is evident that
the current post-crisis discourse keeps its confidence in the emergent socially
responsible economic actor who will contribute to the construction of a moral
economy' (Arvidsson, 2013).
This ephemera conference seeks to question the
feasibility, moral legitimacy and sustainability of perpetual economic growth.
Although contested, current political and popular beliefs tend to hold that the
twin crises of economy and ecology are merely temporary, exceptional phenomena
and that the global economy will soon bounce back to business as usual.
However, others have suggested that we are in the midst of a paradigm shift in
the nature of capitalism (Heinberg, 2011). Instead of using our energies to
prevent this shift from happening it may be more fruitful to appreciate the
opportunities for reflection that are offered by the crisis. On the one hand,
we should learn from history and see that the history of capitalism is indeed
the history of revolutions. This suggests that we indeed may be at the brink of
a new phase in society where we experience a change in the underlying
structures. On the other hand, we can explore new forms of economic
organization that do not rest upon the condition of growth (Schumacher, 1973;
Latouche, 2009; Eisenstein, 2011). Even though the prerequisite of growth has
been subjected to criticism within economic theory (Herrera, 2011), we need to
further explore its implications. Taken together, the challenge is, in other
words, to imagine what a sustainable post-growth economy might look like (Gorz,
1999; Seidl, 2010; Paech, 2012).
If growth is intrinsic to the current capitalist
organization of society, then we need to ask to what extent it is possible to
image a system that does not presuppose perpetual growth. Is economy without
growth a contradiction in terms? We can approach the seeming paradox of the
post-growth economy by rethinking fundamental economic concepts in today’s
capitalist society. Since the value of growth seems to be deeply embedded in
many of the most basic economic concepts used today, we therefore need to
reconsider from the perspective of a post-growth economy: What is a market
without growth? What is the role of entrepreneurship? And consumption? What
would constitute organization and work? What is money? And most importantly of
all, what is economic growth? These questions may be approached theoretically
by analysing their implicit assumptions connected with the paradigm of
growth-oriented capitalism (e.g. Daly, 1996), or they may be explored
empirically by studying actual practices of alternative economic organization (e.g.
North, 2010), such as, for example, slow food movements and direct trade.
The aim of a conference on a post-growth economy is not
solely or even primarily to produce new knowledge but instead to think about
what to do with the knowledge that we already have. Certainly, the problem of
growth is nothing new. Since at least the end of the 1960s, it has been known
that the expansion of the capitalist economy would eventually run up against
the natural boundaries of earth (Carson, 2000; Measows et al., 1972; Georgescu-Roegen,
1971). The most pressing problem today with regards to sustainability is
not that we do not know what to do; rather, the problem is that even though we
know very well what to do, we are still not doing it. In other words, we know very
know that current level of pollution caused by fossil fuels is
not sustainable from a long-term point of view. Yet, by maintaining the
current level of production and consumption, we behave as if it is. There is
therefore an aspect of cynicism, in Sloterdijk’s sense of the term, which needs
to be addressed in relation to sustainability and contemporary capitalism.
The ambition of this conference is thus to bring together
researchers, practitioners and activists who share an interest in the issue of
economic growth and sustainability. We particularly welcome
submissions that explore the paradoxes of a post-growth economy and
the interrelated themes of sustainability and entrepreneurship, alongside an
exploration of the cultural and political context out of which they have
emerged.
Possible topics include but are not limited to the
following:
* What is post-growth economy?
* What would count as work in a post-growth economy?
* What should management be like in a post-growth economy?
* What is the role of entrepreneurship in a post-growth
economy?
* What constitute organization in a post-growth economy?
* What is the role of finance and debt in a post-growth
economy?
* What would consumption be like in a post-growth economy?
Deadlines, conference
fee and further information
The conference takes place at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark,
8-9 of May 2014. The conference is organized by the Department of Management,
Politics and Philosophy. The conference is associated with the Sustainability
platform and the Entrepreneurship platform at CBS.
The extended deadline for submitting abstracts is 15
February 2014. The abstracts, of no more than 500 words, should be submitted in
the format of a Word document to the mail address: postgrowth2014 AT gmail.com. ephemera encourages
contributions in a variety of formats including articles, notes, interviews,
book reviews, photo essays and other experimental modes of representation. The
conference fee has not been set yet, as it is dependent on the number of
participants, but will be kept to a minimum, approximately €100. PhD candidates
pay a reduced fee, most likely €50. Further information about the conference
can be found on the conference website: http://www.ephemerajournal.org. If
you have any queries, you can also contact one of the conference organizers:
Ole Bjerg (ob.mpp AT cbs.dk), Christian
Garmann Johnsen (cgj.mpp AT cbs.dk),
Bent Meier Sørensen (bem.mpp AT cbs.dk),
Lena Olaison (lo.mpp AT cbs.dk). Conference
participants are encouraged to submit their contributions to the Special Issue
on Post-growth economy in ephemera that will be published 2015.
References
Arvidsson, A. (2013) ‘The potential of consumer publics’, ephemera,
13(2): 367-391.
Binswanger, H.C. (2013) Die Wachstumsspirale: Geld, Energie und
Imagination in der Dynamik des Marktprozesses. Marburg: Metropolis-Verlag.
Böhm, S., AM Murtola and S. Spoelstra (2012 eds.) ‘The atmosphere business’, ephemera,
12(1/2): 1-11.
Carson, R.
(2000) Silent Spring. London:
Penguin.
Daly, H. (1996) Beyond growth: The economics of sustainable development. Boston: Beacon Press.
Eisenstein, C. (2011) Sacred economics: Money, gift, & society in the
age of transition. Berkeley,
Calif.: Evolver Editions.
Georgescu-Roegen, N. (1971) The entropy law and the economic process. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
Gorz, A. (1999) Reclaiming work: Beyond the wage-based society. Cambridge, UK;
Malden, MA:
Polity Pressl.
Gorz, A. (2012) Capitalism, socialism, ecology. New York: Verso.
Heinberg, R. (2011) The end of growth: Adapting to our new economic
reality. Forest Row: Clairview.
Herrera, R. (2011) ’A critique of mainstream growth theory: Ways out of the
neoclassical science (-fiction) and toward marxism’, in P. Zarembka and R.
Desai (eds.) Revitalizing marxist theory for today's capitalism (research
in political economy, Vol 27). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Latouche, S. (2009) Farewell to growth. Cambridge, MA:
Polity.
Measows, D., H. Meadows, D.L. Meadows, J. Randers and W.W. Behrens III (1972) The
limits to growth: A report for THE CLUB OF ROME’S project on the predicament of
mankind. New York:
Universe Books.
North, P. (2010) Local money: How to make it happen in your community.
Totnes: Transition Books.
Paech, N. (2012) Befreiung vom Überfluss: auf dem Weg in die
Postwachstumsökonomie. München: oekom verlag.
Schumacher, E.F. (1973) Small is beautiful: A study of economics as if
people mattered. London:
Vintage.
Shane, S. (2003) A general theory of entrepreneurship. The
individual-opportunity nexus, Cheltenham:
Edward Elgar.
Seidl, I. (2010) Postwachstumsgesellschaft:
neue Konzepte für die Zukunft. Marburg:
Metropolis.
**END**
Posted here by Glenn
Rikowski
Posts
