Governance Archives – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

The Data Center Showdown in Lackawanna County

May 28, 2026/4 Comments/in Dave Rollo, Energy, Governance, Jobs and Employment, KEEP Our Counties Great, Money and Investments, Politics, Pollution, Steady State Herald, Technology, Water /by Alix Underwood

by Dave Rollo

As the artificial intelligence (AI) boom explodes with a race for ever more powerful models, so does the need for its infrastructure. This takes the form of huge, windowless buildings housing thousands of data servers. Projects may involve numerous buildings—sometimes a dozen or more—with added infrastructure such as hundreds of backup generators. These amalgamations are termed data centers or, in some cases as an indication of their enormity,

Overlooked Steady Staters

May 21, 2026/3 Comments/in Conservation, David Shreve, Economic Policy, Governance, Inequality, Limits to Growth, Politics, Population, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

Herman Daly provided the key scaffolding for modern steady-state economic theory. But he built on the ideas of many before him, including Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, Daly’s key advisor at Vanderbilt University. The term “steady state” is often used to describe an economy where capital stock is steady but growth may persist. But Daly was clear that his steady state was a homeostasis beyond growth,

Eliminating Public Comments: Another Bow to GDP

May 7, 2026/4 Comments/in Autocracy, Corruption, Democracy, Economic Growth, Governance, Kirsten Stade, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

The public’s ability to weigh in on vital matters impacting human health, safety, and our ecological footprint is under grave threat. As part of its aggressive campaign of deregulation, the Trump Administration has been eliminating the opportunity for public comment on rules made by federal agencies.

In the early months of 2025, the Trump Administration issued a series of Executive Orders that declared economic growth a priority.

Charleston County’s Greenbelt Success

April 30, 2026/3 Comments/in Conservation, Dave Rollo, Economic Growth, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Limits to Growth, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

By Dave Rollo

Counties facing growth challenges can use a variety of tools in their land-use planning to prevent sprawl. One tool is a “greenbelt” composed of a ring of natural and agricultural land that is conserved to hem in urbanization.

Greenbelts have long been a popular planning method in Europe. Researchers at Concordia University compared 30 European cities with greenbelts to 30 without. They found decreases in urban sprawl in almost all of the greenbelt cities.

Nuclear Safety Now Optional Under Trump

April 2, 2026/4 Comments/in Economic Growth, Energy, Environment, Governance, Kirsten Stade, Limits to Growth, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Technology /by Alix Underwood

by Kirsten Stade

At the beginning of his second term, President Trump pledged a regime of aggressive deregulation to stimulate economic growth. Unfortunately he has followed through on that promise, claiming 646 deregulatory actions over the past year. These have aided industries ranging from slaughterhouses to automakers no longer bound by emissions standards under the Obama-era Endangerment Finding, which has now been reversed.

The energy sector has been among the foremost beneficiaries.

Albemarle County, Virginia: Green Leader No More

March 26, 2026/3 Comments/in Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Jobs and Employment, KEEP Our Counties Great, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Alix Underwood

by Tom Olivier

I’ve lived in Albemarle County, Virginia, for over forty years. Albemarle is a mostly rural county in the Piedmont region. It surrounds the city of Charlottesville.

For decades, the county valued its open spaces and created many policies to ensure their protection. Recently, leadership has taken a pro-development turn, jeopardizing citizens’ quality of life and many of our community’s natural features.

In the 1990s and 2000s,

Struggling Against Sprawl in Rutherford County

February 26, 2026/1 Comment/in Dave Rollo, Economic Growth, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Limits to Growth, Politics, Population, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

By Dave Rollo

Rutherford County is located in the central Tennessee farm belt. Its county seat, Murfreesboro, is precisely in the state’s geographic center, and it briefly served as Tennessee’s capital. But, because of greater commerce and superior roads, the legislature chose Nashville as the seat of power only a few years after statehood was granted in 1796. Decades later, Murfreesboro became a grim center of the Civil War. It was the site of the Battle of Stones River—a pivotal Union victory bought at the cost of immense casualties.

Taxes, Economic “Development,” and Growth Fetishism — State of the States

February 12, 2026/8 Comments/in David Shreve, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Governance, Ideology, Inequality, Jobs and Employment, Limits to Growth, Poverty, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Wealth, Wellbeing /by Alix Underwood

by David Shreve

Many are beginning to sense that there is a diminishing relationship between increasing gross domestic product (GDP) and broad prosperity or “quality of life.” Environmental perils are a big part of this—from dying oceans and freshwater shortages to extreme weather events and epidemics. People readily feel these changes, even without knowing their true extent. Technological advances notwithstanding, there is little doubt that ongoing “growth” only perpetuates and amplifies such perils.

Elk County: A Story of Restoration and Recapitulation

January 23, 2026/3 Comments/in Conservation, Dave Rollo, Economic Policy, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Governance, KEEP Our Counties Great, Pollution, Steady State Herald, Water /by Alix Underwood

[This is an edited version of the article that first appeared on January 23, 2026. It has been edited for geographic accuracy in the first two paragraphs.]

by Dave Rollo

Pennsylvania is known for its public lands and forests. Beautiful Elk County, Pennsylvania, is no exception. It boasts rugged, forested scenery with rolling hills, deep valleys, numerous streams, and vast woodlands. Part of the Pennsylvania Wilds,

The New Food Pyramid: Packing the Plate for GDP

January 15, 2026/20 Comments/in Brian Czech, Consumption, Corruption, Economic Growth, Food and Agriculture, GDP, Governance, Politics, Steady State Herald, Trophic Theory of Money /by Alix Underwood

by Brian Czech

Say what you will—pro or con—about the nutritional merits of the Trump Administration’s new food pyramid, but the thing is a masterclass in political artistry. It systematically serves vested interests, a political party, and an ever-competing president. And, I’ll argue, it’s subtly designed for a surge in GDP.

On its face, it certainly is an artistic endeavor, designed to grab you from several angles. The first thing to catch your eye is its surprising disposition.