Social Limits to Growth—Implications for Sustainable Prosperity

CUSP and the APPG on Limits to Growth hosting a debate at the House of Commons to mark the 40th Anniversary of Fred Hirsch’s ‘The Social Limits to Growth’
Monday, 13 November 2017

This Autumn, CUSP  and the APPG on Limits to Growth will be hosting a debate to mark the 40th Anniversary of Fred Hirsch’s ‘The Social Limits to Growth’.

In 1977 Fred Hirsch’s acclaimed book made the case that in addition to the ecological limits to economic expansion identified by the Club of Rome, there are important social constraints on the benefits that can be obtained from growth. And these limits, Hirsch argued, make themselves felt much sooner than would the ‘distant and uncertain’ effects of ecological breakdown.

The thesis has gained fresh force in recent years: the post-crisis period in the West has reignited arguments over the distribution of the gains from growth and has highlighted the gap between economic growth and advances in wellbeing.

Join us for this timely discussion on Hirsch’s challenging analysis and its relevance today by registering your interest through our Eventbrite page. The panel discussion will be chaired by Caroline Lucas MP and Prof Tim Jackson, with speakers including Professor Diane Coyle, Professor Donald Hirsch (son of Fred Hirsch) and Daniel Zeichner MP. Audio recordings of the debate will be available shortly.

Podcast

The audio recording can be streamed via Mixcloud below.

Links