Degrowth Group Assembly Process

Democracy

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How might a transition towards degrowth look like? Whose voices are heard, whose are rejected?

Can a democratic degrowth society remain within the systemic structures of modern societies? If not, what would have to change?

How do we deal with the challenge of open-endedness of direct democratic processes, which might very well lead to paths contrary to degrowth?

Papers

C. Aall, “Investigating the potential of applying theories on rebound effects to the climate discourse: The case of climate change adaptation in winter tourism”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aall_Rebound and climate.pdf (818.24 KB)PDF icon 3321.pdf (455.16 KB)
S. Abdallah, “BRAINPOoL: Lessons from the Beyond GDP world for degrowth”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon jeffrey_beyondGDPIndicatorsForADegrowthTransition_Brainpool.pdf (2.19 MB)PDF icon 3464.pdf (89.04 KB)
A. Acosta, “Beyond extractivism: Debates and Practices around Post-Extractivism  in Latin America”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3791.pdf (41.08 KB)
A. Acosta, “Post-Extracivism and De-Growth: Two Sides of the Same Perspective?”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3792.pdf (50.53 KB)
A. Acquarone and Prohias, J. Pàmias, “The Foundation Theory”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3497.pdf (307.73 KB)
J. - L. Aillon, Dal Santo, Pstudent in, and Dal Santo, Pstudent in, ““Health and Degrowth”, a new paradigm in the field of sustainability”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aillon_Health_Health and Degrowth, a new paradigm in the field of sustainability short .pdf (11.94 MB)PDF icon 3503.pdf (2.8 MB)
J. - L. Aillon and Dal Santo, Pstudent in, “Degrowth, youth and utopia: understanding the roots of distress in order to take ownership of our future”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aillon_Sources of resistance. land grabbing, mining and youth distress_Degrowth, youth and utopia understanding the roots of distress in order to take ownership of our future.pdf (8.65 MB)PDF icon 3498.pdf (119.53 KB)
J. - L. Aillon, Guindani, M., Dal Santo, E., Zummo, S., Montis, A., and Pallante, M., “How to built, organize and manage degrowth movements rooted in the territory?”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Aill.pdf (253.23 KB)
R. Aitken, “Building a social and ecological economy through a social accounting model of banking”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3636.pdf (104.07 KB)
B. Akbulut, Adaman, P. Fikret, Arsel, M., and Avci, D., “De-growth as Counter-Hegemony? Lessons from Turkey”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3737.pdf (70.75 KB)

Participants

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Results from Leipzig 2014

Proposals for the Transformation

  • The necessary shifts will only be democratic but it needs to be an alternative to the representative democratic system we experience today.

    • More time.

    • More inclusive.

    • Enable autonomous societies.

    • Look for windows of opportunity.

  • System should be a combination of direct and delegated democracy with binding mandate:

    • Direct democracies are the fundamental building blocks.

    • Delegated democracy is accountable to smallest units.

    • Direct democracy/ real autonomy needs some (self-determined) fundamental rules or institutional safeguards or norms (e.g. non-racism, ecological, human rights etc).

    • Direct democracy is a deliberative learning process/ consensus.

    • Need to connect degrowth to existing direct democratic structures.

Controversial aspects:

  • Democracy and education should be free from economic interest/commodification.

  • Political parties should be dissolved.

  • Create spaces and networks for enhanced participation in politics and decision-making (e.g. citizen juries).

  • More participatory institutions.

  • Experiments for different kinds of decision-making.

  • The question of power:

    • Representative democracy is flawed in terms of power-distribution.

    • Power is necessary for the shift, direct democracy might not provide this.

Results from Barcelona 2010

Here you can find the results of the GAP at the Degrowth Conference 2010 in Barcelona that are particularly relevant for this working group. More