These are the CASSE blog articles on the steady state economy.
Writing a letter to the editor is a tried and true method for informing fellow citizens. Following are real letters submitted to nationally prominent newspapers on subjects related to the steady state economy. Some have been published, but remain useful as templates. One may expect a publication rate of 10 to 30% with letters such as these (tip: USA Today is one of the easier national newspapers to get a letter published in).
Use our Tell-a-Friend tool to send a short email to family, friends and colleagues who might be interested in supporting the transition to a steady state economy.
Following is a small sampling of esteemed scientists, economists and other thinkers who have signed the CASSE position on economic growth. More notable signatories are listed here.
Abhijit Banerjee, Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT; 2019 Nobel laureate (with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer); past president of the Bureau for the Research in the Economic Analysis of Development; co-author, Good Economics for Hard Times.
Maude Barlow, Chairperson of the Council of Canadians;
The CASSE position sets the record straight on the fundamental conflict between GDP growth and environmental protection. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are just three powerful examples. And what happens to jobs when the planet can’t support the bloated economy? What happens to national security and international stability?
The CASSE position calls for the sustainable solution – a steady state economy with stabilized population and consumption – beginning in the wealthiest nations and spreading via “steady statesmanship.”
The Steady Stater is CASSE’s e-mail newsletter. Topics include CASSE operations, chapter reports, steady-state endorsements, policy developments, and general steady-state news. Subscribe now!
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Given that continuous economic growth is wishful thinking, we explore other options for managing our economic affairs.
In a steady state economy, businesses, universities, and governments continue to pursue technological progress to the benefit of society, but technology is not deployed to grow the economy. In the current economic paradigm, when limits to growth become cumbersome, technology is developed to deal with those limits. If the technology works, we get a bit of breathing room. In a steady state economy, that breathing room is used for leisure,
In a steady state economy, people adjust their expectations about money and investing to match reality. We stop believing in get-rich-quick and Ponzi schemes, and set our expectations to receive real returns on real investments. Lower interest rates prevail, and investments are used to support local economies, improve the stock of human-made structures and machinery, and support innovative and useful technologies. Stocks, mutual funds, and other investment tools feature lower risk and more stable returns.
