Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet - Tim Jackson
Tim Jackson
A former student at City of London School and Merton College, Oxford, Tim Jackson founded QXL.com,[1] an online auction service, which went public in 1999 at a valuation of around $400m. The company merged with its largest German rival, Ricardo, was renamed Tradus, and was sold to African media group Naspers for around $2 billion in December 2007.
Between 1999 and 2001, Jackson was managing director of Carlyle Internet Partners Europe, a $700m fund that invests in European technology businesses. He remains a senior advisor to Carlyle and is in demand as a speaker and writer.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos 2001, Jackson was selected as one of the 100 "Global Leaders of Tomorrow". In a survey by Business 2.0 magazine amongst new economy business people, he was judged the second most important person they would like to have in their contact book. Jackson has also written a number of books.
Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet
(London Earth Scanning, 2009)
Abstract (click here to read the full paper)
This paper explores some social aspects of the transition to a sustainable economy. Starting from basic premises of ecological limits and social justice, the author examines the complex relationship between income and human well-being and argues that the rich world has a responsibility to “make room for growth” where it matters most in terms of improved well-being; that is, in the poorest nations. The paper argues that this cannot be achieved simply through efficiency improvements or material “decoupling”. A simple scenario analysis is used to illustrate the heroic nature of the assumptions that decoupling can achieve global carbon targets. Even if such assumptions are technically justifiable, economic incentives and social logic conspire against technological improvements of this magnitude. Instead, there is a need for profound transformation of the economic system itself, for which the rich nations must take a primary responsibility. This transformation has implications for incentive structures, ownership patterns, investment portfolios, the organisation of financial markets, and the structure of economic activities and for expectations of economic growth. It also demands a new economics, informed by a broader — and more realistic — vision of human nature. narf_1395 155..164 Keywords: Sustainable development; limits to growth; social transformation; lifestyle change; green economy.
Natural Resources Forum 35 (2011) 155–164
Societal transformations for a sustainable economy
Copy [1.9.1]
Abstract
This paper explores some social aspects of the transition to a sustainable economy. Starting from basic premises of ecological limits and social justice, the author examines the complex relationship between income and human well-being and argues that the rich world has a responsibility to “make room for growth” where it matters most in terms of improved well-being; that is, in the poorest nations. The paper argues that this cannot be achieved simply through efficiency improvements or material “decoupling”. A simple scenario analysis is used to illustrate the heroic nature of the assumptions that decoupling can achieve global carbon targets. Even if such assumptions are technically justifiable, economic incentives and social logic conspire against technological improvements of this magnitude. Instead, there is a need for profound transformation of the economic system itself, for which the rich nations must take a primary responsibility. This transformation has implications for incentive structures, ownership patterns, investment portfolios, the organisation of financial markets, and the structure of economic activities and for expectations of economic growth. It also demands a new economics, informed by a broader—and more realistic — vision of human nature.
Societal transformations for a sustainable economy
Copy [1.9.1]
Abstract
This paper explores some social aspects of the transition to a sustainable economy. Starting from basic premises of ecological limits and social justice, the author examines the complex relationship between income and human well-being and argues that the rich world has a responsibility to “make room for growth” where it matters most in terms of improved well-being; that is, in the poorest nations. The paper argues that this cannot be achieved simply through efficiency improvements or material “decoupling”. A simple scenario analysis is used to illustrate the heroic nature of the assumptions that decoupling can achieve global carbon targets. Even if such assumptions are technically justifiable, economic incentives and social logic conspire against technological improvements of this magnitude. Instead, there is a need for profound transformation of the economic system itself, for which the rich nations must take a primary responsibility. This transformation has implications for incentive structures, ownership patterns, investment portfolios, the organisation of financial markets, and the structure of economic activities and for expectations of economic growth. It also demands a new economics, informed by a broader—and more realistic — vision of human nature.