Work less and save the planet!

A sustainable development – allowing my grandchildren and all other children to lead a decent life – depend, in my view, on some issues which have been in focus in my work. The slogan above must be argued in steps. Here is a brief summary with further links:

1.The working hour paradox. A general trend is that we become more efficient in producing goods and services. This is the major factor behind economic growth in the last hundred years. In the past, this was partly used to reduce working hours. J M Keynes had a vision that his grandchildren would be able to satisfy their needs with just a few hours of work per day. Karl Marx had similar vision of a society of more leisure after our needs had been satisfied. But Bertrand Russell mocks about our inability to benefit from the progress in this way (see ”In praise of Idleness” 1932). After we reached the 8 hour day in the West this development has halted. Instead we have increased consumption – and economic growth – beyond the means of the planet, creating the present ecologically unsustainable situation. The notion of economic growth is so strong that to suggest shorter working hours is considered a ”third rail issue” by most politicians – such suggestions may cause a political death just like it is deadly dangerous to touch the third rail in the subway!

(I have written several reports on working hours including my doctoral dissertation about the history of the working hours issue over 100 year – see a summary here!

2.The Baumol dilemma of personal services. Economic growth is often argued as necessary in order to maintain the desired medical, social and educational services of the welfare state. But this is a false conclusion because these services do not follow the trend of higher productivity. For that reason growth will not help the situation; the costs of the services increase in (almost) the same rate as the economy grows. What is needed is to set aside a higher share of society’s resources for these services. But this often means higher taxes…

3.The rebound effect. Higher efficiency and technological progress often l

ead to goods and services with a reduced environmental impact: energy-efficient cars, better insulated houses etc. But by and large, we have used this to increase the volumes of consumption rather that profiting from the possible saving – the so called ”Jevons paradox” (from 1865). Environmental policy becomes like chasing your own tail. The non-shrinking work day is an extended example of this paradox.

(here is an English summary of a report I have written on the rebound effect for the Swedish EPA)

4.The locked-in consumer. In principle, the consumer is the king who rules over society’s consumption. In practice consumers are more or less forced to a consumption pattern dictated outside his/her control. This applies to the availability of goods and services, to technical systems and the urban structure etc. Indirectly, the consumer is also limited by social and cultural norms and influenced by media and marketing activities. Sustainable consumption would require political action in all these fields. 

(this is elaborated in my paper in Ecological Economics 2002 and a later paper)

This book (from 2007) covers all these issues and relate them to sustainable development; it is called “Keynes’ grandchildren” with reference to his vision (even if environmental issues were not on his mind in the 1930s) about of a society which has solved "the production problem" allowing us to enjoy our leisure rather than spoiling the earth by overproducing..

(here is the introductory chapter in English and a general overview of the book – also see box below)

Work less and save the planet!

A sustainable development – allowing my grandchildren and all other children to lead a decent life – depend, in my view, on some issues which have been in focus in my work. The slogan above must be argued in steps. Here is a brief summary with further links:

1.The working hour paradox. A general trend is that we become more efficient in producing goods and services. This is the major factor behind economic growth in the last hundred years. In the past, this was partly used to reduce working hours. J M Keynes had a vision that his grandchildren would be able to satisfy their needs with just a few hours of work per day. Karl Marx had similar vision of a society of more leisure after our needs had been satisfied. But Bertrand Russell mocks about our inability to benefit from the progress in this way (see ”In praise of Idleness” 1932). After we reached the 8 hour day in the West this development has halted. Instead we have increased consumption – and economic growth – beyond the means of the planet, creating the present ecologically unsustainable situation. The notion of economic growth is so strong that to suggest shorter working hours is considered a ”third rail issue” by most politicians – such suggestions may cause a political death just like it is deadly dangerous to touch the third rail in the subway!

(I have written several reports on working hours including my doctoral dissertation about the history of the working hours issue over 100 year – see a summary here!

2.The Baumol dilemma of personal services. Economic growth is often argued as necessary in order to maintain the desired medical, social and educational services of the welfare state. But this is a false conclusion because these services do not follow the trend of higher productivity. For that reason growth will not help the situation; the costs of the services increase in (almost) the same rate as the economy grows. What is needed is to set aside a higher share of society’s resources for these services. But this often means higher taxes…

3.The rebound effect. Higher efficiency and technological progress often l

ead to goods and services with a reduced environmental impact: energy-efficient cars, better insulated houses etc. But by and large, we have used this to increase the volumes of consumption rather that profiting from the possible saving – the so called ”Jevons paradox” (from 1865). Environmental policy becomes like chasing your own tail. The non-shrinking work day is an extended example of this paradox.

(here is an English summary of a report I have written on the rebound effect for the Swedish EPA)

4.The locked-in consumer. In principle, the consumer is the king who rules over society’s consumption. In practice consumers are more or less forced to a consumption pattern dictated outside his/her control. This applies to the availability of goods and services, to technical systems and the urban structure etc. Indirectly, the consumer is also limited by social and cultural norms and influenced by media and marketing activities. Sustainable consumption would require political action in all these fields. 

(this is elaborated in my paper in Ecological Economics 2002 and a later paper)

This book (from 2007) covers all these issues and relate them to sustainable development; it is called “Keynes’ grandchildren” with reference to his vision (even if environmental issues were not on his mind in the 1930s) about of a society which has solved "the production problem" allowing us to enjoy our leisure rather than spoiling the earth by overproducing..

(here is the introductory chapter in English and a general overview of the book – also see box below)