In terms of continuing the critique of economic growth, we refined our analysis somewhat in this chapter along the following lines. The first is that the critique is directed at undifferentiated, orthodox GDP measurements of growth, where growth is viewed as permanent feature of an economy or a permanent economic objective. The second is that the critique of orthodox economic growth is confined to the minority or overdeveloped societies of the world. Using the normatively and scientifically informed Contraction and Convergence’ argument, the upshot of the analysis is for the redistribution of development opportunities from the ‘overdeveloped’ countries to the ‘global South’. Economic growth was also presented as an ideology which serves the interests of elite, and its ideological promotion (by neoclassical economics) is intrinsically connected to the contemporary practices of global capitalism. Thus, as it stands, the dominant model of contemporary neoclassical economics is an apologia for, and legitimation of. free market capital ism and neo-liberalism. In general terms following one of the first modern thinkers to propose a ‘post-growth’ economy, John Stuart Mill (Barry, 2007a), green political economists are of the view that economic growth should be ‘redistributed’ from the ‘over, developed’ minority world to the majority world in the global South. In terms of the limits to growth, energy and ecological thresholds that cannot be breached, the development path of the ‘global South’ cannot be along the same model as those pursued by the already industrialized (over) developed world. It is for this reason that most of the debates about a post-growth economy tend to be orientated towards the developed world, largely based, in my view, on the application of the ‘Contraction and Convergence’ approach to climate change and carbon reductions [Meyer, 200I], as a principle to guide an egalitarian and sustainable distribution of ‘development space’ globally. The Politics of Actually Existing Unsustainably John Barry OXFORD
http://www.amazon.com/Politics-Actually-Existing-Unsustainability-Climate-Changed/dp/0199695393/ref=sr_1_1?ie= UTF8&qid=1331437301&sr=8-1
A further consideration in any steady-state system is the manner of distribution of whatever resources that remain available. As the currently over-consuming nations of the world ··power down” t hei r energy and resources use, overall global consumption will need to be reduced to a level safely below what is sustainable for the planet. Some nations and peoples already live at very low consumption levels, sometimes well below levels that can sustain well-being. Disparities like that are typically the result of Centuries of prior exploitation or present neo-colonial activity, making self-sufficiency impossible. The deplorable resource and land grabbing that we described in chapter VI is a good current example. Nations that have been historically deprived argue that they cannot reduce consumption as yet. In fact, they continue to need help in increasing consumption to a level of sufficiency - hence the emergence of an important new concept, making its way through environmental and social-justice communities: ‘Contraction and Convergence’. The model goes like this: Work to achieve overall global economic contraction to a level safely below planetary carrying capacities. At the same time, within this lower level of overall consumption, work to establish an equitable plan for redistribution of sufficient available resources, until all remaining human societies are able to move toward convergence at an acceptable use level for everyone. That’s a good one for the UN to try to work out. The Capitlaism Papers Jerry Mander
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wdCFCMbu3h4C&pg=PA219&dq=%22Contraction+and+Convergence%22+Capita lism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FbpiUZnpJ4qX1AWG1IGABg&ved=0CGQQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=gci&f=false