Economic Policy Archives – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Introducing the Sustainable Population and Immigration Act

September 18, 2025/21 Comments/in Brian Czech, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Immigration, Limits to Growth, Politics, Population, Steady State Economy, Steady State Economy Act, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

A steady state economy requires, by definition, a stabilized population. If population is not stabilized, it won’t matter how much we try to conserve. Our consumption as individuals—“per capita consumption”—can only go so low before we hit the lower limits of mere survival.

Mere survival isn’t comfortable, much less fun. It precludes any political viability for keeping consumption at minimal levels. So, as a society concerned about sustainability,

Attempting a “SlowDown” in Stafford County

September 11, 2025/3 Comments/in Dave Rollo, Economic Policy, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Politics, Population, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Dave Rollo

Stafford County, Virginia, is one of the oldest counties in the United States. Unsustainable development threatens its agrarian culture and residents’ quality of life. Uniquely, the local government has tools to measure the negative impacts of growth. However, they continue to incentivize big-box commercial and retail development. They are changing zoning, extending infrastructure, and failing to increase impact fees. The county’s supervisors are serving developer interests, and a developer currently serves on the planning commission.

Introducing the Natural Resources and Electricity Cap-and-Trade Act

July 10, 2025/7 Comments/in Consumption, David Shreve, Economic Policy, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Materials use, Pollution, Steady State Economy, Steady State Economy Act, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

In cap-and-trade systems, the government places a “cap,” or limit, typically on pollution or resource extraction. The amount of pollution or extraction is then divided into “allowances,” which are allocated to the polluting or extracting corporations. These corporations can trade their unused allowances in the marketplace.

Cap-and-trade policies promise significant abatement at an optimally low cost. But does experience with cap-and-trade systems vindicate this promise?

The United States and other countries have tested a variety of cap-and-trade systems.

No Steady State Economy with Global South in Debt Crisis

July 3, 2025/3 Comments/in Alix Underwood, Corruption, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Inequality, Money and Investments, Politics, Poverty, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Alix Underwood

This week marks the fourth annual International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). Leaders of governments, international organizations, and financial institutions meet in Seville, Spain, to “reform financing at all levels.” Global South countries and advocacy groups from across the world hoped this would be the moment for a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt.

According to Didier Jacobs, Oxfam International’s Debt Relief Advocacy Lead,

Circularity in the Gold Sector

June 26, 2025/2 Comments/in Consumption, Corporate Reform, Economic Policy, Materials use, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Sustainability, Technology /by Alix Underwood

by Ramachandran Kallankara and Vivek Vivek

Twenty years ago, visionary economist Herman Daly exhorted the readers of Scientific American to create new ways of thinking towards a sustainable economy:

“The global economy is now so large that society can no longer safely pretend it operates within a limitless ecosystem. Developing an economy that can be sustained within the finite biosphere requires new ways of thinking.”

Economies are triangular,

In the Poconos, They’re Keeping Carbon County Great

June 19, 2025/2 Comments/in Conservation, Dave Rollo, Economic Policy, Environment, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Money and Investments, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

By Dave Rollo

In Carbon County, Pennsylvania, the conservation ethic runs deep. It manifests in the county’s comprehensive plan, its “return on environment” analysis, and most recently, a fund to preserve open space, which voters overwhelmingly supported.

Carbon County derives its name from the abundant deposits of anthracite—the highest quality coal—that were once mined there. The county is located in the southern Pocono Mountains,

Introducing the Sustainable Transportation Act

May 29, 2025/7 Comments/in David Shreve, Economic Policy, Fossil Fuels, Governance, Steady State Economy, Steady State Economy Act, Steady State Herald, Sustainability, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

While transportation is vital to American prosperity, the transportation sector is the largest direct contributor of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions among all economic sectors. Even though passenger-car efficiency has steadily increased in recent years, the sector’s contribution to environmental degradation has continued to rise. Since 1995, U.S. transportation sector emissions have risen by almost 20 percent.

We cannot ignore the principal problems in the U.S.

Hacking the Business Growth Imperative

April 25, 2025/3 Comments/in Corporate Reform, Corruption, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Money and Investments, Postgrowth, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Sustainability /by Alix Underwood

by Kali Young

“Despite its immensity, the Earth’s resources are not infinite, and it’s clear we’ve exceeded its limits. But it’s also resilient. We can save our planet if we commit to it.” – Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

In 2022, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard took a bold step to make the Earth, in essence, the company’s only shareholder. Chouinard explained that he doesn’t respect the stock market and believes that companies become irresponsible after going public.

Introducing the Sustainable Housing Act: Shelter for All in a Steady State

April 17, 2025/4 Comments/in Economic Policy, Governance, Inequality, Inflation, Limits to Growth, Materials use, Population, Steady State Economy, Steady State Economy Act, Steady State Herald, Sustainability /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

Housing in the United States (and in many other nations) is plagued by many problems and shortcomings. Among the most critical are increasingly unaffordable prices and bewildering geographic cost variations. Connected to these are additional problems associated with forced sprawl, the needless destruction of vital ecosystems, and labor market rigidity.

The residential cost problem is paramount and can no longer be dismissed as a predicament limited to isolated markets.

Introducing the Sustainable Taxes Act

March 20, 2025/5 Comments/in Economic Policy, Inequality, Money and Investments, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Economy Act, Steady State Herald, Sustainability, Wealth /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

In a world where GDP exceeds our planet’s biocapacity, we badly need new economic policy. In particular, we need to halt the process of unsustainable growth and move toward a steady state economy. The critical question is how to do this while ensuring sufficient economic opportunities, employment, and income for all.

Technological changes are insufficient, despite holding some promise. Neither the agricultural “Green Revolution” nor energy use efficiencies have markedly changed the ongoing overshoot.