While research on alternatives to growth at the level of the economy as a whole is accumulating, few studies have related the criticism of growth to the business level. This paper starts to address this gap by investigating mechanisms of growth for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), presenting a case study that applies Q methodology and interviews with owner-managers of both growing and non-growing SMEs in Austria. Some mechanisms stimulating growth are identified across SMEs including contributing to innovativeness and motivation of employees. Others are only of relevance for some SMEs: competition, financial stability and a desire for market power. The owner-managers of non-growing SMEs hold values and pursue goals that free them from mechanisms of growth or prevent them from being triggered. Moreover, they exhibit a strong identification with their SME, operate in niche markets and strive for financial independence. This illustrates that a growth imperative is neither inevitable nor are growth mechanisms always operative, but depend upon structures and institutions. / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

This thesis is about researching methods/testing approaches to inhabiting/existing in a post-growth Norrland, the collective term for Sweden’s most northerly counties. With neo-liberal capitalism lurching from crisis to crisis, modernity, progress and the state are in trouble. Small shops close, iconic buildings are constructed, agriculture, the most vital of industries, is collapsing and competition is the watchword. If peak-oil, the consumer culture and individualism combine to lead us into a dystopian slough, what is the alternative? This work aims to investigate and show the existing conditions that are producing the current state of affairs in Norrland, with emphasis on Röbäck, one of Umeå’s agricultural satellites cum dormitory suburbs. This research will provide the necessities for dreamed proposals about a possible post-growth future, integrating alternative views of technology and modes of living with the ethos of the common and our use of shared resources.

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Yes / In this paper, we aim to contribute to the literature on post-growth futures. Modern imaginings of the future are constrained by the assumptions of growth-based capitalism. To escape these assumptions we turn to utopian fiction. We explore depictions of work in Cokaygne, a utopian tradition dating back to the 12th century, and William Morris's 19th century News from Nowhere. Cokaygne is a land of excessive consumption without work, while in News from Nowhere work is the route to the good life. These competing notions provide inspiration for a post-growth vision of work. We argue that biophysical and social dynamics mean that in a post-growth economy we are likely to have to be less productive and work more. But, this can be a utopian vision. By breaking the link between work and consumption at the level of the individual, we can remove some of the coercion in work. This would free us to do jobs that contribute to the social good, rather than generate exchange value, and empower us to fight for good work. Finally, we draw on eco-feminist analyses of capitalism to argue that by challenging labour productivity growth we can also challenge wider forces of oppression.

In response to growing critiques of the economic growth-centered model of development, post-growth approaches have been suggested as having potential to address various social-ecological crises. However, key uncertainties remain regarding the inner dynamics of such a society and the transition towards it; degrowth policy proposals often lack precision and depth, and do not sufficiently consider interactions. Yet policies do not exist in isolation, and their synergies, trade-offs, and unintended consequences need to be investigated. This study explores, through modelling, the potential of degrowth policies to achieve rapid reductions in environmental degradation whilst enabling high social wellbeing. Examples of policies that are explored in the model environment are production taxes on returns on capital, capital decommissioning, universal basic income, work time reduction, and maximum incomes. The research is grounded in a two-fold case study: Sweden as a high-income country where degrowth policies are appropriate, and the Integrated Sustainable Development Goals (iSDG) model as a system dynamics-based policy simulation tool designed to assess the impacts of various policy scenarios at a national scale. The results provide insights into the potential causal dynamics of these policies and show that they all cause trade-offs when implemented in isolation; they improve some social or ecological variables at the cost of others. However, when applied as a coherent package they appear effective in achieving social-ecological prosperity. In the model, combining a downscaling of production with reduced working hours and redistribution of wealth leads to rapid reductions in environmental pressures whilst eradicating poverty and reducing inequality and unemployment. Although there is a risk of misrepresenting degrowth policy dynamics because they are placed in a model context based on current economic structures, the results of this study highlight that some degrowth policies have the potential to succeed even if deeper structural changes have not yet taken place.

Cities drive some of the most urgent sustainability challenges that societies face today, including inequality, resource consumption and climate change. Meanwhile, economic growth is increasingly being viewed as a challenge for sustainable development, generating a call for post-growth transformation. In recent years, the notion of a sharing economy has spread to cities across the globe and has been adopted as a solution for addressing multiple urban sustainability challenges. The sharing economy is often associated with multinational corporations such as Airbnb and Uber, however, there is a parallel movement of emerging social practices. This study investigates the case of the multi-actor sharing economy in Gothenburg, Sweden, in order to assess the capacity of an emerging grassroots movement to contribute to economic transformation towards a post-growth model. The findings demonstrate how the grassroots movement show potential for radical change as they adopt and replicate goals and visions aligning with post-growth transformations. Further, the results show how the movement is reconfiguring urban governance relations through i) transformative leaders and ii) intermediary organizations enabling cross-sectorial actor relations to emerge. However, the findings also point to emerging risks of disempowerment and limited capacity of grassroots which induce three policy suggestions to strengthen the transformative capacity of the movement. These are to i) organize multi-actor exercises that foster collective visions, ii) support the development of co-operative business models for grassroots, and iii) establish a Community Support Centre. The study concludes that Gothenburg is an example of a type of sharing economy with potential for post-growth transformation.

Our study investigates how the organizational growth paradox is perceived and managed by incumbent firms from a degrowth perspective. There is a growing critique against the growth paradigm, an increasing support for its abandonment. Scholars are calling for a paradigm shift towards a post-growth economy. The degrowth movement has paid more attention to macroeconomics but it has been insufficiently researched on a micro level. It is viewed as being too abstract and does not provide concrete frameworks that can be applied in a business context. We address this gap by applying two theoretical frameworks, organizational paradox and degrowth theory. Then the degrowth notion is defined on a macro- and a micro-level, including relevant degrowth frameworks such as the Doughnut Economic and the Circular Economy model. Lastly, we define organizational paradoxes and possible managerial responses to them. The degrowth agenda has a variety of perspectives that range from radical to more moderate. We adopt a moderate perspective, influenced by Buch-Hansen and Nesterova (2023) and consequently, we anticipate gradual changes as incumbents adapt to a post- growth economy. We collect empirical data by conducting a case study and performing semi-structured interviews on a cooperative in Sweden’s primary food industry. In addition, we interviewed the CEO of a family-owned company operating in the same industry. Moreover, we analyze the resulting organizational paradoxes, and explore management responses. Two new paradoxes have been discovered. First, the governance paradox shows that a cooperative structure by itself, as advocated by degrowth theory, does not prevent but potentially creates paradoxical tensions. Second, the core business paradox describes a dissent between the business or product and public perception. A justification response approach in this case can endanger the business’ existence. We conclude that profitability in financial terms is key to being able to transition towards degrowth. Moreover, the governance structure of a cooperative can create paradoxical tensions which, when not managed properly, can cause other paradoxes to surface. We highlight the challenges of implementing degrowth thinking at a micro-level, as incumbents are influenced by external factors and face tensions. To achieve widespread diffusion, collaboration and shared values throughout the value chain is essential. When operating in an everchanging dynamic environment, the core business can develop into a source of paradoxical tension. We recommend the paradoxical response approach, described in the Dynamic Equilibrium model (Smith & Lewis, 2011) for managing tensions, but note the risks involved. Shifting priorities without sufficient communication and motivation can harm commitment, trust, transparency, collaboration, and employee alignment. To successfully apply consistent inconsistency, strong management skills to foster employee commitment to changing priorities are required.

Who am I to wear this? I find it crucial how an item of clothing feels when worn. Instinctively tactile, visually pleasing… but when pondering further the material confronts my skin. I wonder, whose lives are sacrificed for this garment I wear?  This paper presents the process of crafting my work together with nature, how I witness possibilities of self-sustained collaboration between organisms and human beings discovering each other and growing together in novel metabiosis. Growing my own craft through urban micro-farming - and rethinking the lifecycle of materials - I have found a path towards a “wild” mix of biodegradable methods in body- sculpted fashion. A method I call Couture Vivante, creating textiles together with non-human bodies and imagining possible futures of ethical production. Transforming natural elements into after-life craft, reforming ecosystems around symbiosis between source and wearer. The living materials are art pieces crafted as first prototypes in my research which places emphasis on wearable materials as progress-in-motion, rather than a static or finished product. This work connects to a wider context of socio-economic and ethical structural practice. My ideal is not a vision of utopia, it is a balanced flow between humans, vegetation, textile and living creatures. Here I see an expression of the importance of man's too often ignored dependency on nature and - perhaps - coming to a point where we can realise the inherent magic instead of harming it.

Post-Growth Geographies examines the spatial relations of diverse and alternative economies between growth-oriented institutions and multiple socio-ecological crises. The book brings together conceptual and empirical contributions from geography and its neighbouring disciplines and offers different perspectives on the possibilities, demands and critiques of post-growth transformation. Through case studies and interviews, the contributions combine voices from activism, civil society, planning and politics with current theoretical debates on socio-ecological transformation.

In the last 50 years, the ocean has been experiencing a rapid increase in human use and exploitation, which is gradually decreasing ocean resilience. This “Blue Acceleration” calls for a reconsideration of the ocean as a political and economic arena. One suggestion for doing so is to replace the growth paradigm underlying the current ocean economy with a philosophy of “Blue Degrowth”. Using ocean Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) as a case study, I employ Science-Fiction prototyping to explore how “seeds” of post-growth thinking in current governance frameworks for ABNJ might transform the ocean economy beyond national jurisdiction to an ocean economy beyond growth. In this thesis, I develop a coherent post-growth future scenario for ABNJ (Mare Autonomia) meant to challenge the dominant Mare Liberum (freedom of the seas) imaginary of open ocean governance. The scenario consists of four SciFi short stories each touching on different parts of the ocean economy (shipping, fishing, marine biotechnology, and deep-sea mining) and a prototype ocean treaty that describes the governance principles underlying this future. Subjecting the scenario to experts allowed me to map the transformation from the present to the future using the three horizons framework, but also showed that perceptions of Mare Autonomia are widely affected by collectively-held imaginaries about both ocean and post-growth governance. By analysing this transformation further, I thus uncovered 1) aspects of the imaginary linked to the dominant growth paradigm hindering interviewees from seeing Mare Autonomia as a plausible ocean future, and 2) common post-growth governance tropes that become problematic when applied to an open ocean context. The thesis ends with a reflection on the power of imagination for both envisioning radically different futures and in rethinking how the story of our present reality is told. Alternative visions of the future are not inherently less plausible than the status quo. In realising this, we might also improve our capabilities in critically reflecting over the stories told about our present.