What Is Degrowth?
Degrowth is an academic and social movement, predominantly in Europe, aimed at the planned and democratic reduction of production and consumption as a solution to social-ecological crises. Part of the Green family.
Definition
Degrowth is an academic and social movement, predominantly in Europe, aimed at the planned and democratic reduction of production and consumption as a solution to social-ecological crises.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Degrowth (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Planned reduction of resource use in rich countries.
- Well-being over GDP growth.
- Redistribution and shorter working time.
Origins
France, 2000s.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Serge Latouche, Jason Hickel
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Degrowth sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 25 | toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 25 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 34 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 34 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 11 | strongly toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 29 | toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 40 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 34 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 27 | toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 28 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 21 | toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 81 | toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 11 | strongly toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 22 | toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Major industries should be publicly owned rather than privately controlled. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National legislation should reflect the moral teachings of the country’s majority religion. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Deep Ecology, Degrowth sits 9 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Post-Growth Politics, Degrowth sits 13 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Green Politics, Degrowth sits 13 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Degrowth.
Sources
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.