Economic Policy

by Daniel Wortel-London

Inequality threatens people and planet alike. Billions struggle to make ends meet while a tiny minority grows fabulously wealthy. At the same time, the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy and the waste they generate takes an enormous environmental toll. The intertwining of social and environmental damage suggests that standard fixes for inequality are inadequate.

Herman Daly thought that waste from the wealthy could not be ended through redistributive taxation alone.

The post Limits to Wealth = Limits to Growth appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

by Gary Gardner

Official Washington is all aflutter over whether Congress should raise the ceiling on U.S. government debt. But this is not the most pressing debt question our country faces.

To see why, step back and enlarge the frame.  A new question emerges: Why would Congress create an artificial and wholly unnecessary debt crisis while ignoring a far more dangerous and decidedly real debt trap? I speak of our ballooning ecological debt,

The post What About the Other Debt Ceiling? appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

by Brian Czech

On a scale of one to ten, COP15—the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal last month—was a solid five. That may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but it represents significant progress from prior COPs, which dabbled along in the one or two range for the better part of three decades. The progress was evident from the start, when UN Secretary General António Guterres kicked off the conference by noting,

The post COP15: The Good, the Bad, and the Smugly appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

States try tax reform to fix housing affordability On RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly I was interviewed by Max Chalmers for this segment on RN Breakfast about the transfer from stamp duties to land tax that is happening in the … Continue reading →

Warwick Smith, The University of Melbourne Australia’s new federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, spoke regularly in opposition about a well-being budget and the need to measure more than just the traditional economic indicators. He was even mocked for it by his … Continue reading →

Warwick Smith, The University of Melbourne It was billed as Australia’s first wellbeing budget. But, five months into a new government, with so many economic fires to fight, Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ first budget was never going to be that. Instead, … Continue reading →

Originally published at The Mandarin. Last night, treasurer Jim Chalmers cautiously set Australia on its wellbeing economy journey. This government’s first Budget sat against a backdrop of inflationary pressures, global conflict, gloomy outlooks, floods and cost of living pressures. Behind … Continue reading →

by Yiran Cheng

China, as the world’s second-largest economy and a rising superpower, is an integral part of the discussion if a steady state economy is ever to be achieved at a global scale. China’s environmental impact grows by the day, yet serious consideration about intentionally slowing economic growth has seldom occurred, let alone the possibility of a sustained 负增长, the Mandarin translation of “degrowth”.

This is not to say China is oblivious to its environmental toll.

The post Prospects for 负增长 Toward a Steady State Economy in China appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

by Brian Czech

If you call yourself a “conservative” these days, what does that tell us? Or, what is it supposed to tell us? Does it mean you’re a Republican, a Tory, or a member of the largest party in the democratic world, the Bharatiya Janata Party? Must you be a particular brand of partisan—maybe a MAGA Republican or a Modi भक्त—to wear the conservative hat?

What about your faith?

The post Conservatives and the Steady State Economy: A Natural Fit appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

by Brian Czech

If you’re a steady stater, I know what you’re thinking about Hurricane Ian. For starters, of course, you’re deeply concerned about any family or friends you may have in Florida, along with folks in general along Ian’s path. But you’re also wondering, “What about the pollution?”

The marine pollution that accompanies coastal flooding, most notably from violent hurricanes, is probably ignored by the majority of folks,

The post Hurricane Ian: A Profoundly Polluting Event appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.