Element Descriptor
You can’t have an endlessly growing economy on a finite planet. If you try, as we are, you lose everything that is dear to you. But explaining that is tricky, not being able to explain that means that we continue our head long rush towards oblivion.
Level descriptors
| Novice | Practitioner | Expert | Ninja |
|---|---|---|---|
| you can explain the basic concepts of a steady state economy and what it does and does not mean to an interested but not particularly well informed observer using simple language | you can explain basic and more advanced concepts around steady state economics versus the growth versus business as usual to people of different backgrounds and levels of expertise and different levels of hostility and different commitments to the status quo. | You can discuss the finer points of different kinds of steady state economics and the implications for different sectors of an economy and a society with a diverse range of people, including openly hostile ones, without losing your cool and cold calling the Muppets | You can explain all about steady state economics to anyone at any time at the drop of a hat and the IMF refuses to debate you. |
Element Overview Essay
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The causes of people not being able to explain steady state economics to at least one you have people who run away from the whole word economics, believing it to be just another part of the con. Secondly, have people who have the confidence and training to understand mainstream economics and steady state but in the process of gaining that understanding and training may have forgotten how to talk with a normal human being. Obviously, both of these kinds of people are unable to communicate effectively as they stand.
The consequences are that steady state economics or degrowth – they’re different concepts – can easily be maligned and dismissed as hippy fantasy even though they’ve been around for 50 years plus, and they’re not hippy fantasy.
So the fix, we really need to get better. Not just puncturing the nonsense of endless growth but also advocating effectively through memes and GIFs and cartoons and short stories for something a little less disastrous. We’ll wait. Probably not. We will continue to churn out books that people buying them don’t read and have battles in academic journals. Yeah, so it goes.
Development Resources
Assessment Resources
