Review

Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future

Volume: 11 Number: 1 May 31, 2025
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Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future

Abstract

This article examines degrowth through the lens of public choice theory. Since degrowth is both a political and economic concept, public choice provides a useful framework for analyzing its various dimensions. Degrowth challenges the dominant ideology of constant economic expansion, promoting a deliberate reduction in resource consumption to restore ecological balance, reduce inequality, and improve collective well-being. However, the article emphasizes the difficulties of implementing degrowth policies, pointing to the self-interested motivations of key social actors: voters, politicians, and bureaucrats. Voters often prioritize their own utility when choosing a party or policy, while politicians focus on reelection and bureaucrats aim to expand their department’s budget. These individual interests often conflict with the broader goals of degrowth, making the transition to a more sustainable and equitable society difficult. The article critically analyzes degrowth from a public choice perspective, underscoring the systemic obstacles posed by inherent self-interest. It also argues that since government outcomes are often the result of the collective actions of self-interested individuals, the public choice perspective has the potential to provide useful insights for degrowthers.

Keywords

References

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  2. Alcott, B. (2005). Jevons' paradox. Ecological economics, 54(1), 9-21.
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  4. Buchanan, J. M. (1993). Public choice after socialism. Public Choice, 77(1), 67-74.
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  6. Buchanan, J. M. (2003). Politics without romance. Policy, 19(3), 13-18.
  7. Buchanan, J.M. (2004). Constitutional political economy. In C. K. Rowley, F. Schneider (Eds.). The Encyclopedia of Public Choice. Springer.
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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Political Economy and Social Change, Economic Development Policy

Journal Section

Review

Early Pub Date

May 31, 2025

Publication Date

May 31, 2025

Submission Date

November 2, 2024

Acceptance Date

May 13, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 11 Number: 1

APA
Gunduz - Ozgur, S. (2025). Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future. Current Research in Social Sciences, 11(1), 51-64. https://doi.org/10.30613/curesosc.1578157
AMA
1.Gunduz - Ozgur S. Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future. Curr Res Soc Sci. 2025;11(1):51-64. doi:10.30613/curesosc.1578157
Chicago
Gunduz - Ozgur, Sule. 2025. “Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future”. Current Research in Social Sciences 11 (1): 51-64. https://doi.org/10.30613/curesosc.1578157.
EndNote
Gunduz - Ozgur S (May 1, 2025) Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future. Current Research in Social Sciences 11 1 51–64.
IEEE
[1]S. Gunduz - Ozgur, “Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future”, Curr Res Soc Sci, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 51–64, May 2025, doi: 10.30613/curesosc.1578157.
ISNAD
Gunduz - Ozgur, Sule. “Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future”. Current Research in Social Sciences 11/1 (May 1, 2025): 51-64. https://doi.org/10.30613/curesosc.1578157.
JAMA
1.Gunduz - Ozgur S. Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future. Curr Res Soc Sci. 2025;11:51–64.
MLA
Gunduz - Ozgur, Sule. “Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future”. Current Research in Social Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, May 2025, pp. 51-64, doi:10.30613/curesosc.1578157.
Vancouver
1.Sule Gunduz - Ozgur. Degrowth and Public Choice: Navigating Private Interests and Power Dynamics for a Sustainable Future. Curr Res Soc Sci. 2025 May 1;11(1):51-64. doi:10.30613/curesosc.1578157