IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolec/v84y2012icp254-261.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Overcoming accumulation: Is a capitalist steady-state economy possible?

Author

Listed:
  • Blauwhof, Frederik Berend

Abstract

This article critically reviews the case for a steady-state, zero growth economy posing the question whether such an economy can be stable and socially just, given that in the current global economy lack of growth is synonymous with crisis. The SSE thesis is analysed within a framework of Marxian political economy concluding that a stable and just SSE is possible, but not feasible within the social relations of capitalism. Using the Marxian analysis of capital accumulation, the article then considers whether the reforms proposed by ecological economists can form an effective countervailing force to the drive for accumulation. The conclusion is that such reforms can be successful, but only in so far as they are complemented and brought to their logical conclusion by a wider attempt to transcend the capitalist relations of production.

Suggested Citation

  • Blauwhof, Frederik Berend, 2012. "Overcoming accumulation: Is a capitalist steady-state economy possible?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 254-261.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:84:y:2012:i:c:p:254-261
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.03.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800912001267
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.03.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Booth, Douglas E., 1995. "Economic democracy as an environmental measure," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 225-236, March.
    2. Burkett, Paul, 2004. "Marx's reproduction schemes and the environment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 457-467, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. José Luis Haro García, 2019. "Empresa y ecologismo: Repensar la empresa en tanto que escenario detacado de la (in)sostenibilidad de las relaciones socioambientales," Revista de Economia Critica, Asociacion de Economia Critica, vol. 28, pages 69-83.
    2. Malleson, Tom, 2014. "After Occupy: Economic Democracy for the 21st Century," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199330102.
    3. O'Hara, Phillip Anthony, 2009. "Political economy of climate change, ecological destruction and uneven development," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 223-234, December.
    4. Elke Pirgmaier & Julia K. Steinberger, 2019. "Roots, Riots, and Radical Change—A Road Less Travelled for Ecological Economics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Andreea Preluca & Karin Hakelius & Cecilia Mark-Herbert, 2022. "Sustainability of Worker Co-Operatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-20, September.
    6. Akbulut, Bengi & Adaman, Fikret, 2020. "The Ecological Economics of Economic Democracy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    7. Sophie BOUTILLIER & Patrick MATAGNE, 2014. "Une histoire asyncrone de l’économie et de l’écologie, et de leurs « passeurs » [An Asynchronous History Of The Economics And Ecology And To Their « Boatmen »]," Working Papers 37, Réseau de Recherche sur l’Innovation. / Research Network on Innovation.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:84:y:2012:i:c:p:254-261. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.