Postgrowth and Wellbeing

Milena Büchs is Associate Professor in Sustainability, Economics and Low Carbon Transitions, University of Leeds, UK.Max Koch is Professor in Social Policy at Lund University, Sweden.

“Post-growth and Well-being is a timely and systematic account of the post-growth literature. The book methodically highlights important social science theories and approaches towards a sustainable economy and the implications for both environmental and human well-being. … Overall the authors present complicated and, arguably, potentially disempowering ideas to the reader in a clear and concise manner … .” (Rachel Manning, Environmental Values, Vol. 27 (06), December, 2018)“This concise and comprehensible book provides a very gratifying and manageable reading experience. The structure of the book is coherent with short chapters each beginning with an abstract and ending with an informative conclusion. … highly recommended reading for all interested in the future of welfare systems and the sustainability of income protection.” (Tuuli Hirvilammi, Basic Income Studies, July, 2018)“Postgrowth and Wellbeing should serve as a reference work for scholars, students and activists engaged in supporting societal transitions towards post-growth societies. Büch and Koch … stress that, unless the socioeconomic, technological and political articulations framing unsustainable practices are addressed simultaneously, basic needs for health and autonomy may suffer.” (Monica Guillen-Royo, Ecological Economics, Vol. 146, April, 2018)

• Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Capitalist development and the growth paradigm.- Chapter 3 Growth and the welfare state as we know it.- Chapter 4 Critiques of growth.- Chapter 5 Postgrowth and human wellbeing.- Chapter 6: The generation of human wellbeing – social practices theory.- Chapter 7: Welfare in a global steady-state economy.- Chapter 8: Conclusions.