Is the Party Over for Economic Growth?

Tim Jackson in panel debate with Stephanie Flanders and Deirdre McCloskey
London, Emmanuel Centre, 16 May 2016

“Many economists are predicting that stagnation is here to stay. We hear a lot of excited talk from the techno-optimists about the Second Machine Age and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the rewards they are set to bring us, but some say that most of the fruits of the IT revolution have already been harvested.

If the age of endless growth is over, how should we assess the implications? Does the developed world face decades of misery-inducing recession, or – given that the planet’s resources are finite – can we look forward to a more sustainable future where ever-increasing consumption does not count as the main good? Or are the economic doom-mongers wrong? Will capitalism, that engine of human ingenuity, continue to be the route to rising prosperity for all? If so, what are the mechanisms that will kick-start the global economy again?”

On May 16, Intelligence Squared was hosting this discussion on the future of the global economy. Other panelists included Stephanie Flanders, JP Morgan’s chief market strategist for Europe, and acclaimed US economic historian Deirdre McCloskey. The evening was moderated by Kamal Ahmed, Economics Editor of BBC News.

For background information, please visit the Intelligence Squared website.