Hardly anything concerns politicians and economic experts as much as economic growth: How much will it grow? How much will it take for unemployment to fall?
Which policies achieve the most? How much social and ecological impact can growth sustain? Which economic sectors need support because they are "growth drivers"?
The goal of economic growth appears to be a consensus across party lines. However, it is completely unclear what exactly is meant to grow. (Economic) growth is a vague term and is defined differently by different actors. Most often – and we follow this approach in this brochure – it refers to the increase in gross domestic product (GDP), i.e., the monetary value of goods and services produced domestically (value added). This value is supposed to rise regardless of whether we want and need the goods produced for this purpose (education, wind turbines, bicycles) or not (advertising, fast food, cosmetic surgery, weapons), and regardless of the social and ecological damage associated with it. This indifference to what is produced, with what effects and under what conditions, makes it questionable whether gross domestic product is a good indicator of prosperity.
More and more scientists, as well as organizations and activists, are therefore criticizing policies that do everything in their power to increase GDP. Instead, they advocate for a positive vision of a society beyond the pursuit of growth and the capitalist imperative to grow. They are focusing on post-growth, degrowth, and décroissance – and are immediately confronted with many questions: What will happen to our economy and our social systems if growth fails? Is it a driver or a hindrance to ecological transformation? Is this ever-more inconsistent with human nature? What about the people in the global South? In the most extreme version, the critics of growth must ask themselves:
Do you want to go back to the Stone Age?
These questions are explored in our brochure using some popular claims.