Economics for Rebels

Ecological economists all over the world attempt to find the right paths to transcend our currently unsustainable and unjust economic practices. Some are more radical in their proposed measures than others. Today’s guest, Anitra Nelson argues that „monetary values and activities are the key stumbling block to us achieving socio-political and economic justice and sustainability on Earth”. Hence, she proposes to do away with money altogether.

Degrowth is a research field and a social movement that aims to transcend the primacy of economic growth and transition societies to an ecologically more sustainable and socially more just world. Overcoming our environmental sustainability hurdles through mainstream approaches like eco-modernisation does not even try to tackle the problems of social injustices like inequality. Our guest, Jason Hickel argues that the root of environmental and social problems is the same and through Degrowth we can address both of them at the same time. In this episode we talk about the solutions suggested by Degrowth to both sustainability and more equality.

Herman Daly, one of the founders of ecological economics, died on the 28th of October 2022 at the age of 84. His work questioning the pursuit of economic growth and articulating the alternative of a steady-state economy, has been foundational to sustainability science. Daly observed that mainstream economics completely omits the natural world and in reality, the economy is not an isolated system, but a subsystem of the biosphere. All of the resources used by the economy come from the environment, and all of the wastes produced by it return to the environment. Hence, economic activity can be analysed not only in terms of flows of money, but also in terms of flows of biophysical resources and social outcomes. Moreover, the finitude of the biosphere implies that there are limits to how large the physical economy within it can grow. Daly argued that we have in fact moved from an “empty world” to a “full world”. In this end of year episode we are paying tribute to Herman Daly. Alexandra Köves talks to Dan O'Neill, the President of the European Society for Ecological Economics in an episode that covers not just an incredibly rich life's work but most of the basic concepts of ecological economics. Edited by Aidan Knox.

More and more of the rich and famous are taking up climate activism and try to convince the world that we all need to act now. But what is their message? Ecological economics is about realising that business-as-usual no longer works. Instead of techno-optimism, we need real system change. But what exactly are climate elites saying? What is the role of philanthropy in climate politics? And how does this all feed into sustainability transitions? Do they help our cause or just defer fundamental change? Today’s guest, Edouard Morena helps us figure this all out.

In a world where we acknowledge ecological boundaries, consumption patterns must change. Many ecological economists would argue that not only the way we consume but the way we work must also change. Leaving behind the overriding aim of economic growth at all costs means that work needs not only to be perceived differently but also distributed differently. A common suggestion that occurs in these discussions is the necessary reduction of working hours. Stefanie Gerold explains us why.