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Green Republican Political Economy: Towards the Liberation from Economic Growth and Work As Disutility

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Green Republican Political Economy: Towards the Liberation from Economic Growth and Work As Disutility www.ecologicalcitizen.net LONG ARTICLE Green republican political economy: Towards the liberation from economic growth and work as disutility This article focuses on green non-ecological critiques of orthodox economic growth and John Barry offers a distinctive green republican political economy argument in favour of democratizing production as part of the ‘just transition’ to a sustainable, regenerative economy. About the author Democratizing production could, by enabling the realization of some of the internal goods John Barry is Professor of of work, reduce ecologically damaging orthodox economic growth. The article then proceeds Green Political Economy, to critically analyse the dominant conception of ‘work as disutility’ within both the history Queen’s University Belfast, of modern political economy and more importantly within neoclassical economics. This UK. He was co-chair of the Green Party in Northern (mis)conception of work is one that neglects to recognize the internal values of work, and Ireland from 2003 to 2009. frames a view of human labour which is used to justify despotic workplace management practices. Hence liberating the macro economy from the imperative of endless growth, and at Citation the micro economic/workplace level liberating production from capitalist productivity, could Barry J (2020) Green simultaneously enhance human freedom and flourishingand ecological sustainability. republican political economy: Towards the liberation from “Who, in the light of biophysical reality, and concerns around the negative impacts economic growth and work as can remain committed to the growth- of the growth imperative on democratic disutility. The Ecological Citizen forever vision? Apparently, our decision- politics and the further spread of 3(Suppl B): 67–76. making elites can. […] Their commitment is democratic norms throughout society and Keywords not to maximize the cumulative number of the economy (Barry, 2012). Ecological economics; people ever to live at a sufficient standard of This article will focus on some of these limits; societal change; consumption for a good life for all. Rather, non-ecological critiques of economic sustainability; techno-fixes it is to maximize the standard of resource growth (and related ideas and practices consumption for a small minority of the of competiveness, productivity, efficiency present generation, and let the costs fall and maximization) and offer a green on the poor, the future and other species.” political economy argument in favour of Daly (2013: 4–5) democratizing production. It also argues that from an ecological sustainability perspective, democratizing workplaces ne of the key and long-standing and production could, by enabling the concerns of green politics and green realization of some of the internal goods Opolitical economy has been around of work, reduce ecologically damaging ‘limits to growth’. While initially based orthodox economic growth. That is, the on the ecological impossibility of endless creation of a regenerative economy requires orthodox (GDP) growth as a permanent the democratization of work, and attention feature of the human economy (Barry, 2016; towards its specifically internal values 2018) – impossible to extend infinitely and goods when, following MacIntyre for into the future or extend to the world’s example, it is viewed as a human practice population as a whole – green critiques as opposed to an institution (Barry, 2013). of growth also have non-ecological These internal goods, comprising, inter dimensions. These include concerns about alia, creativity, autonomy and democratic the link between growth and inequality decision-making, could, by constituting (within and between nations), the lack of practices adding to human flourishing, connection (after a threshold) between decouple the sphere of production from human flourishing and continuing growth, being ‘locked into’ endless ecocidal The Ecological Citizen Vol 3 Suppl B 2020 67 Green republican political economy www.ecologicalcitizen.net economic growth. A key issue here is to economic objectives such as reducing the distinguish formally paid employment length of the working week, and shifting from work, and the article discusses how from wage-based private consumption dominant growth-oriented measures of to both lower consumption and forms of the economy only focus on employment collective and shared consumption. and exclude and normatively disvalue unpaid work. Green political economy The article then proceeds to critically and consumption analyse the dominant conception of ‘work “Advertising has us chasing cars and as disutility’ within both the history clothes, working jobs we hate so we can of modern political economy and more buy shit we don’t need.” importantly within neoclassical economics. Fight Club (1999 film) This (mis)conception of work is one that both neglects to recognize the internal Do good human lives have to cost the Earth? values of work, and frames a ‘productivist Can we have high quality lives with low and growth’ oriented view of human carbon and low environmental impacts? labour which is used to justify ‘despotic’ These are some of the complex questions workplace management practices. Here the we need to ask in the 21st century, the ‘age article canvasses arguments for viewing of the Anthropocene,’ accelerating climate modern employment as a form of ‘wage breakdown and exacerbating inequalities slavery,’ and why from a green republican within and between societies. Providing perspective we should be concerned about answers and political/policy solutions – or, it, and supportive of attempts to reduce the more likely, ‘coping mechanisms’ (Barry, undemocratic unfreedoms of this condition. 1999) – to these interlinked questions in Of interest here from a green republican the turbulent times ahead will (even if as political economy point of view is that the yet we cannot see the urgency) dominate main justification used for maintaining or at the very least profoundly frame and (and extending) workplace dictatorships shape politics, economics and culture in and denying democracy in the workplace the decades ahead – from the local to the is efficiency and the maximization of global scale. Or, at least, we should hope “Green political production. In a word, growth. The main that addressing the existential crisis facing economy calls argument presented here is that if work life on this planet does dominate and frame attention to the is an undesirable activity, this may be human political thinking and acting, since metabolism between because of how production is organized, if this does not happen, then the outlook is who controls it and how the benefits from it grim for future generations of the human the human economy are distributed, not because of work per se. and more than human worlds. and the much larger One needs to look therefore at how work and A key focus for understanding and ecosystem and employment are organized and structured. navigating a way through a climate biophysical processes From an ecological sustainability point changed and carbon constrained world of view, democratizing work – which may has to be political economy (not be confused and systems on which reduce productivity – is, ceteris paribus, a with its contemporary bastard offspring, it depends.” positive policy option in that it can reduce ‘economics’), and green political economy in negative impacts of economic activity particular. On the one hand, green political and increase democratic decision-making economy calls attention to the metabolism within the sphere of production, as well as between the human economy and the much expand individual autonomy and creativity larger ecosystem and biophysical processes within that sphere. Democratizing and systems on which it depends. That is, employment and recognizing work, a green political economy focus draws – or including re-orientating public policy away should draw – our attention to the non- from a dominant focus on employment human energy and resource inputs and (and hence economic growth), allows for pollution etc. (including nonhuman agency) the possibility of ‘post-growth’ political that is required, produced, transformed, 68 The Ecological Citizen Vol 3 Suppl B 2020 www.ecologicalcitizen.net Green republican political economy etc. as a result of human economic activities. of goods and services from their use and Moreover, green political economy – like enjoyment (e.g. Barry, 2012). Other research other critical forms of political economy, stresses the need to recompose and such as those drawn from Marxist, post- reconstitute consumption in the minority colonial or feminist thought – foregrounds world – such as Ian Gough’s argument human relations of power, ownership and for strategies and policies to recompose control of human, and more than human, consumption (based on distinguishing assets, capacities, and products and the needs from luxuries) and focused on institutionalized organization of the attaining ecological sustainability human economic sub-system. and social equity (Gough, 2017). While Much work in critical green political such critical work on consumption and economy has rightly focused on excessive consumerism is important and needed, my consumption and consumerism in the aim in this article is to focus on how green minority/over-developed world. This political economy should analyse, think work has revealed how the lifestyles, about and reconfigure the organization of “The lifestyles, aspirations for and views of the
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