Can we prosper without growth? 10 policy proposals

The document outlines ten policy proposals from Research & Degrowth in Barcelona aimed at breaking the 'spell of growth' and providing a cooperative economic model for radical Left and Green parties. These proposals include a citizen debt audit, work-sharing with a 32-hour week, a basic income of 400-600 Euros, and a green tax reform shifting taxation from work to energy and resource use. It advocates for ending subsidies for polluting activities, supporting the non-profit cooperative sector, optimizing existing building use, restricting advertising, establishing absolute caps on CO2 and material resources, and replacing GDP with prosperity indicators. The authors argue these complementary measures decouple social security from economic growth and shift the focus toward the commons and shared infrastructure.

• The authors propose a citizen debt audit to eliminate part of accumulated debts, ensuring that losses are borne by speculators rather than modest pensioners or savers.
• To decouple jobs from growth, the document suggests reducing the working week to at least 32 hours and implementing a basic income for all Spanish residents between 400 and 600 Euros per month, with a maximum income cap of 30 times the basic income.
• A green tax reform is proposed to shift the tax burden from labor to the use of energy and resources, including a carbon tax and a 90% tax rate on the highest incomes to curb positional consumption.
• The document advocates for the total removal of public investment and subsidies for fossil fuels, mining, military technology, and private transport infrastructure, redirecting these funds toward public spaces, public transport, and decentralized renewable energy.
• The proposal calls for the establishment of absolute and diminishing caps on Spain's total CO2 emissions and material resource use, including those embedded in imports from the global South.
• The authors argue for the abolition of GDP as the primary indicator of economic progress, suggesting a shift toward indicators of well-being and prosperity.

APA

Kallis, G. (2015). Can we prosper without growth? 10 policy proposals. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/can-we-prosper-without-growth-10-policy-proposals/

Chicago

Kallis, Giorgos. Can we prosper without growth? 10 policy proposals. Green European Journal, 2015. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/can-we-prosper-without-growth-10-policy-proposals/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kallis |first1=Giorgos |title=Can we prosper without growth? 10 policy proposals |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 September 2015 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/can-we-prosper-without-growth-10-policy-proposals/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kallis2015can, author = {Kallis, Giorgos}, title = {{Can we prosper without growth? 10 policy proposals}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/can-we-prosper-without-growth-10-policy-proposals/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }