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Call foi papeis foi an !"#!$!%& confeience anu special issue on:
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K'8G$($8F$ '(EB8&I$()L 0le Bjeig, Chiistian uaimann }ohnsen,
Bent Neiei Siensen anu Lena 0laison at Copenhagen Business School,
Benmaik, 8-9 of Nay 2u14
Peipetual economic giowth is an unueilying assumption of the
contempoiaiy capitalist oiganization of society. The iuea of giowth is
embeuueu not only in the coipus of economic thought but also in the
institutions of the economy (Binswangei, 2u1S; uoiz, 2u12). Noie iecently,
entiepieneuiship, innovation anu cieativity have been seen as possible ways
to solve the cuiient economic anu enviionmental ciisis as well as to geneiate
giowth (Schapei, 2uu2). This is the case because entiepieneuiship anu
innovation aie poitiayeu as seeus of new initiatives anu iueas that will boost
economic uevelopment while simultaneously ieuuce its impact on the
climate. Such a belief has piouuceu new maikets, such as caibon maikets,
anu an emeiging 'climate capitalism' (Bohm, Nuitola anu Spoelstia, 2u12).
At the heait of this logic is a faith in the inuiviuual economic actoi, not least
the entiepieneui, as a gifteu inuiviuual with unique abilities (Shane, 2uuS).
Anu it is eviuent that the cuiient post-ciisis uiscouise keeps its confiuence in
the emeigent socially iesponsible economic actoi who will contiibute to the
constiuction of a moial economy' (Aiviusson, 2u1S).
This !"#!$!%& confeience seeks to question the feasibility, moial legitimacy
anu sustainability of peipetual economic giowth. Although contesteu,
cuiient political anu populai beliefs tenu to holu that the twin ciises of
economy anu ecology aie meiely tempoiaiy, exceptional phenomena anu
that the global economy will soon bounce back to business as usual. Bowevei,
otheis have suggesteu that we aie in the miust of a paiauigm shift in the
natuie of capitalism (Beinbeig, 2u11). Insteau of using oui eneigies to
pievent this shift fiom happening it may be moie fiuitful to appieciate the
FB99 G'( @B@$() H *
oppoitunities foi ieflection that aie offeieu by the ciisis. 0n the one hanu,
we shoulu leain fiom histoiy anu see that the histoiy of capitalism is inueeu
the histoiy of ievolutions. This suggests that we inueeu may be at the biink
of a new phase in society wheie we expeiience a change in the unueilying
stiuctuies. 0n the othei hanu, we can exploie new foims of economic
oiganization that uo not iest upon the conuition of giowth (Schumachei,
197S; Latouche, 2uu9; Eisenstein, 2u11). Even though the pieiequisite of
giowth has been subjecteu to ciiticism within economic theoiy (Beiieia,
2u11), we neeu to fuithei exploie its implications. Taken togethei, the
challenge is, in othei woius, to imagine what a sustainable post-giowth
economy might look like (uoiz, 1999; Seiul, 2u1u; Paech, 2u12).
If giowth is intiinsic to the cuiient capitalist oiganization of society, then we
neeu to ask to what extent it is possible to image a system that uoes not
piesuppose peipetual giowth. Is economy without giowth a contiauiction in
teims. We can appioach the seeming paiauox of the post-giowth economy
by iethinking funuamental economic concepts in touay's capitalist society.
Since the value of giowth seems to be ueeply embeuueu in many of the most
basic economic concepts useu touay, we theiefoie neeu to ieconsiuei fiom
the peispective of a post-giowth economy: What is a maiket without
giowth. What is the iole of entiepieneuiship. Anu consumption. What
woulu constitute oiganization anu woik. What is money. Anu most
impoitantly of all, what is economic giowth. These questions may be
appioacheu theoietically by analysing theii implicit assumptions connecteu
with the paiauigm of giowth-oiienteu capitalism (e.g. Baly, 1996), oi they
may be exploieu empiiically by stuuying actual piactices of alteinative
economic oiganization (e.g. Noith, 2u1u), such as, foi example, slow foou
movements anu uiiect tiaue.
The aim of a confeience on a post-giowth economy is not solely oi even
piimaiily to piouuce new knowleuge but insteau to think about what to uo
with the knowleuge that we alieauy have. Ceitainly, the pioblem of giowth is
nothing new. Since at least the enu of the 196us, it has been known that the
expansion of the capitalist economy woulu eventually iun up against the
natuial bounuaiies of eaith (Caison, 2uuu; Neasows et al., 1972; ueoigescu-
Roegen, 1971). The most piessing pioblem touay with iegaius to
sustainability is not that we uo not know what to uo; iathei, the pioblem is
that even though we know veiy well what to uo, we aie still not uoing it. In
othei woius, we know veiy know that cuiient level of pollution causeu by
fossil fuels is not sustainable fiom a long-teim point of view. Yet, by
maintaining the cuiient level of piouuction anu consumption, we behave as
if it is. Theie is theiefoie an aspect of cynicism, in Sloteiuijk's sense of the
teim, which neeus to be auuiesseu in ielation to sustainability anu
contempoiaiy capitalism.
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The ambition of this confeience is thus to biing togethei ieseaicheis,
piactitioneis anu activists who shaie an inteiest in the issue of economic
giowth anu sustainability. We paiticulaily welcome submissions that
exploie the paiauoxes of a post-giowth economy anu the inteiielateu
themes of sustainability anu entiepieneuiship, alongsiue an exploiation of
the cultuial anu political context out of which they have emeigeu. Possible
topics incluue but aie not limiteu to the following:
What is post-giowth economy.
What woulu count as woik in a post-giowth economy.
What shoulu management be like in a post-giowth economy.
What is the iole of entiepieneuiship in a post-giowth economy.
What constitute oiganization in a post-giowth economy.
What is the iole of finance anu uebt in a post-giowth economy.
What woulu consumption be like in a post-giowth economy.
M$B%9&8$)N F'8G$($8F$ G$$ B8% GD("#$( &8G'(AB"&'8
The confeience takes place at Copenhagen Business School, Benmaik, 8-9 of
Nay 2u14. The confeience is oiganizeu by the Bepaitment of Nanagement,
Politics anu Philosophy. The confeience is associateu with the Sustainability
platfoim anu the Entiepieneuiship platfoim at CBS.
The ueauline foi submitting abstiacts is S1 }anuaiy 2u14. The abstiacts, of
no moie than Suu woius, shoulu be submitteu in the foimat of a Woiu
uocument to the mail auuiess: postgiowth2u14 AT gmail.com. !"#!$!%&
encouiages contiibutions in a vaiiety of foimats incluuing aiticles, notes,
inteiviews, book ieviews, photo essays anu othei expeiimental moues of
iepiesentation. The confeience fee has not been set yet, as it is uepenuent on
the numbei of paiticipants, but will be kept to a minimum, appioximately
t1uu. PhB canuiuates pay a ieuuceu fee, most likely tSu. Fuithei
infoimation about the confeience can be founu on the confeience website:
http:www.ephemeiajouinal.oig. If you have any queiies, you can also
contact one of the confeience oiganizeis: 0le Bjeig (ob.mpp AT cbs.uk),
Chiistian uaimann }ohnsen (cgj.mpp AT cbs.uk), Bent Neiei Siensen
(bem.mpp AT cbs.uk), Lena 0laison (lo.mpp AT cbs.uk). Confeience
paiticipants aie encouiageu to submit theii contiibutions to the Special
Issue on Post-giowth economy in !"#!$!%& that will be publisheu 2u1S.
O$G$($8F$)
Aiviusson, A. (2u1S) 'The potential of consumei publics', !"#!$!%&, 1S(2): S67-S91.
FB99 G'( @B@$() H 1
Binswangei, B.C. (2u1S) ()! *&+#,-.$,,")%&/!0 1!/23 45!%6)! .52 7$&6)5&-)85 )5 2!%
(95&$): 2!, ;&%:-"%8<!,,!,= Naibuig: Netiopolis-veilag.
Bohm, S., AN Nuitola anu S. Spoelstia (2u12 eus.) 'The atmospheie business',
!"#!$!%&, 12(12): 1-11.
Caison, R. (2uuu) >)/!5- >"%)56. Lonuon: Penguin.
Baly, B. (1996) ?!9852 6%8@-#0 A#! !+858$)+, 8B ,.,-&)5&C/! 2!D!/8"$!5-. Boston:
Beacon Piess.
Eisenstein, C. (2u11) >&+%!2 !+858$)+,0 ;85!93 6)B-3 E ,8+)!-9 )5 -#! &6! 8B -%&5,)-)85.
Beikeley, Calif.: Evolvei Euitions.
ueoigescu-Roegen, N. (1971) A#! !5-%8"9 /&@ &52 -#! !+858$)+ "%8+!,,. Cambiiuge
NA: Baivaiu 0niveisity Piess.
uoiz, A. (1999) F!+/&)$)56 @8%:0 ?!9852 -#! @&6!GC&,!2 ,8+)!-9. Cambiiuge, 0K;
Naluen, NA: Polity Piessl.
uoiz, A. (2u12) H&")-&/),$3 ,8+)&/),$3 !+8/869. New Yoik: veiso.
Beinbeig, R. (2u11) A#! !52 8B 6%8@-#0 I2&"-)56 -8 8.% 5!@ !+858$)+ %!&/)-9. Foiest
Row: Claiiview.
Beiieia, R. (2u11) 'A ciitique of mainstieam giowth theoiy: Ways out of the
neoclassical science (-fiction) anu towaiu maixism', in P. Zaiembka anu R. Besai
(eus.) F!D)-&/)<)56 $&%J),- -#!8%9 B8% -82&9K, +&")-&/),$ L%!,!&%+# )5 "8/)-)+&/
!+858$93 M8/ NOP. Bingley: Emeialu uioup Publishing Limiteu.
Latouche, S. (2uu9) Q&%!@!// -8 6%8@-#. Cambiiuge, NA: Polity.
Neasows, B., B. Neauows, B.L. Neauows, }. Ranueis anu W.W. Behiens III (1972) A#!
/)$)-, -8 6%8@-#0 I %!"8%- B8% AR4 HST? UQ FU;4V> "%8W!+- 85 -#! "%!2)+&$!5- 8B
$&5:)52. New Yoik: 0niveise Books.
Noith, P. (2u1u) S8+&/ $85!90 R8@ -8 $&:! )- #&""!5 )5 98.% +8$$.5)-9. Totnes:
Tiansition Books.
Paech, N. (2u12) ?!B%!).56 D8$ XC!%B/.,,0 &.B 2!$ *!6 )5 2)!
Y8,-@&+#,-.$,Z:858$)!. Nnchen: oekom veilag.
Schumachei, E.F. (197S) >$&// ), C!&.-)B./0 I ,-.29 8B !+858$)+, &, )B "!8"/! $&--!%!2.
Lonuon: vintage.
Shane, S. (2uuS) I 6!5!%&/ -#!8%9 8B !5-%!"%!5!.%,#)"= A#! )52)D)2.&/G8""8%-.5)-9
5!J.,, Cheltenham: Euwaiu Elgai.
Seiul, I. (2u1u) Y8,-@&+#,-.$,6!,!//,+#&B-0 5!.! [85<!"-! B\% 2)! ].:.5B-. Naibuig:
Netiopolis.