What kind of degrowth? The case of Croatia reconsidered

The authors from Group 22 argue that Croatia's small size is an advantage for piloting a transformative degrowth strategy. They contend that the last 20 years of capitalist development in Croatia have failed to improve societal wellbeing, as evidenced by stagnant Human Development Index (HDI) values, rising income inequality, and an increasing ecological footprint. The text asserts that simply utilizing renewable resources within existing 'cronyand clientelistic capitalism' would likely lead to corruption and market concentration. Instead, they propose a 'structured process of socially sustainable and equitable reduction' in material and energy use, supported by democratic deliberation and the redistribution of resources to maintain welfare while downsizing ecological impact.

• The authors argue that Croatia's small size facilitates political mobilisation and the activation of resources for economic transformation, making it a potential model for other communities to pursue alternative development trajectories.
• A transformative degrowth strategy is defined not as a GDP drop within a growth-oriented economy—which would cause unemployment—but as a structured, equitable reduction in the extraction and processing of materials and energy.
• Analysis of Croatia's transition to a capitalist economy over 20 years shows that while the Human Development Index (HDI) remained constant, income inequality rose, poverty rates became among the top 5 in Europe, and the ecological footprint increased.
• The authors claim that harnessing renewable resources like forestry and wind energy within Croatia's current 'cronyand clientelistic capitalism' would likely result in corrupt misuse and further market concentration.
• Public opinion data indicates a contradiction in Croatian society: while 40% believe protecting climatic conditions should take priority over economic growth, 60% are unwilling to accept a reduction in living standards.

APA

Cvijanović, D. D. M. D. V. (2012). What kind of degrowth? The case of Croatia reconsidered. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/what-kind-of-degrowth-the-case-of-croatia-reconsidered/

Chicago

Cvijanović, Danijela Dolenec, Mladen Domazet, Vladimir. What kind of degrowth? The case of Croatia reconsidered. Green European Journal, 2012. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/what-kind-of-degrowth-the-case-of-croatia-reconsidered/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cvijanović |first1=Danijela Dolenec, Mladen Domazet, Vladimir |title=What kind of degrowth? The case of Croatia reconsidered |publisher=Green European Journal |date=20 November 2012 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/what-kind-of-degrowth-the-case-of-croatia-reconsidered/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cvijanovi2012what, author = {Cvijanović, Danijela Dolenec, Mladen Domazet, Vladimir}, title = {{What kind of degrowth? The case of Croatia reconsidered}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2012}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/what-kind-of-degrowth-the-case-of-croatia-reconsidered/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }