These are the CASSE blog articles on the steady state economy.

Sample of Notable Signatures

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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;

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Take a Position

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The Short Version

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.”

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The Steady Stater Newsletter

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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!

Past issues:

2024

2023

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Briefing Papers

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Given that continuous economic growth is wishful thinking, we explore other options for managing our economic affairs.

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Technology

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Technological Progress in a Steady State Economy

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,

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Money and Investments

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Money and Investments in a Steady State Economy

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.

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Energy

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Energy Use in a Steady State Economy

In a steady state economy, conservation of energy is held in high regard.  People look for ways to accomplish their goals while minimizing energy inputs. Societies phase out fossil fuels, and instead favor energy sources that use solar income, such as photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, biofuels and hydroelectric generators. Businesses and households retrofit existing structures to be more energy-efficient, and eliminate machines that consume wasteful amounts of energy,

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Jobs and Business

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Jobs and Business in a Steady State Economy

In a steady state economy, jobs are more secure, and local businesses contribute significantly to thriving communities. A main feature of a steady state economy is stabilized population. With a stable population, there is not a constant need to create more jobs, because the size of the working-age population is not increasing. Another main feature of a steady state economy is efficient and sustainable use of materials and energy.

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Conservation and Environment

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Environmental Quality in a Steady State Economy

The most important characteristic of a steady state economy is sustainable scale, meaning that the economy fits within the carrying capacity of the ecosystems that contain it. An economy of sustainable scale, therefore, has more room for nature. Without a continuously growing economy to crowd out more and more nature, citizens can focus on stewardship of natural resources and the services they provide — services that are critical to life on Earth.

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