Policy in a Time of Monsters: Ten Theses

The author diagnoses a crisis in political ecology caused by the Greens' alignment with the productivist Left, specifically the Socialist Party (PS), which led to electoral losses in 2014. The text proposes ten theses to rebuild the movement, emphasizing a return to 'contractual autonomy'—where alliances are based on specific policy content rather than 'Left/Right' labels—and the adoption of a 'cooperative' organizational model to engage civil society and prepare for the 2017 elections.

• The author argues that the crisis of liberal-productivism has erased distinctions between center-left and center-right parties while radicalizing the divide between productivists and ecologists.
• The rise of populist-nationalist forces, such as Marine Le Pen's National Front (FN), is attributed to the failure of traditional Leftist parties, particularly the Socialist Party (PS), to protect citizens and offer a progressive response to the crisis of Fordism and liberal globalization.
• The Greens' electoral decline, notably in the 2014 European Parliament elections where votes were halved compared to 2009, is linked to abandoning 'contractual autonomy' to become a branch of the traditional Left and failing to prevent the Hollande presidency from becoming a 'disaster'.
• The document advocates for a return to 'contractual autonomy', where alliances are based on a strict analysis of policy content across six criteria: democracy/human rights, universalism, ethnocentrism, liberal/dirigiste leanings, social/ecological goals, and honesty/corruption.
• To regain support for the 2017 elections, the author recommends that EELV move away from closed party structures toward 'Ecologist cooperatives' and 'workshops' that include civil society and local networks.
• The author suggests that a 'Green New Deal' serves as a necessary detailed roadmap to exit the liberal-productivism crisis, which should be implemented through partial examples like 'cities in transition'.

APA

Lipietz, A. (2015). Policy in a Time of Monsters: Ten Theses. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/policy-in-a-time-of-monsters-ten-theses/

Chicago

Lipietz, Alain. Policy in a Time of Monsters: Ten Theses. Green European Journal, 2015. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/policy-in-a-time-of-monsters-ten-theses/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lipietz |first1=Alain |title=Policy in a Time of Monsters: Ten Theses |publisher=Green European Journal |date=5 February 2015 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/policy-in-a-time-of-monsters-ten-theses/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lipietz2015policy, author = {Lipietz, Alain}, title = {{Policy in a Time of Monsters: Ten Theses}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/policy-in-a-time-of-monsters-ten-theses/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }