Degrowth is a rejection of the illusion of growth and a call to repoliticize the public debate co... more Degrowth is a rejection of the illusion of growth and a call to repoliticize the public debate colonized by the idiom of economism. It is a project advocating the democratically-led shrinking of production and consumption with the aim of achieving social justice and ecological sustainability.
This overview of degrowth offers a comprehensive coverage of the main topics and major challenges of degrowth in a succinct, simple and accessible manner. In addition, it offers a set of keywords useful for intervening in current political debates and for bringing about concrete degrowth-inspired proposals at different levels - local, national and global.
The result is the most comprehensive coverage of the topic of degrowth in English and serves as the definitive international reference.
More information at: vocabulary.degrowth.org
Tags: degrowth vocabulary, PDF, Full book, Download for free, PDF, download
In an earlier contribution to the journal, John Clark sought a dialogue between social ecology an... more In an earlier contribution to the journal, John Clark sought a dialogue between social ecology and ecosocialism and his paper is to be welcomed for extending that dialogue to ecofeminism.1 We have many points of agreement with Clark’s overall perspective: the need to recognize the dialectical relationship between the social and ecological aspects of human existence; the severity of the ecological crisis we face; the need for a radical response based on egalitarian principles; the role of grassroots, indigenous and other radical movements for environmental and social justice; the centrality of incorporating issues around gender. We also have points at which we diverge, in particular around his interpretation of the dialectical relationship between humanity and nature and his focus upon the care ethic as the most important insight from ecofeminism.
Concern with social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal has often focused on economic regeneratio... more Concern with social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal has often focused on economic regeneration and new ways of stimulating employment or selfemployment in local economies. One recent initiative has been to raise private money through a bond with the social aim of creating local employment. This paper explores the Newcastle Employment Bond, its structure, the philosophy behind it and the motivations and expectations of the people and organisations who invested in it. The paper asks whether the Bond can be seen as a model of ‘Third Way’ thinking, providing an alternative to state funding of social exclusion and employment initiatives or reliance on purely profit-oriented economic regeneration.
Many commentators have seen a ‘natural’ affiliation between the ecology movement and the feminist... more Many commentators have seen a ‘natural’ affiliation between the ecology movement and the feminist movement. The green movement has attracted many women members and supporters although the German Green Party has adopted the most overtly feminist stance. In Britain, neither feminism nor the presence of women appears to have had a profound effect on green politics. Ecofeminists argue that green politics should start from women's experience as women share with nature a common oppression at the hand of male‐dominated ‘progress’. They also share with the natural world a common experience of nurturing and life‐giving. The failure of mainstream (male) green thinking to incorporate women's experience of caring and nurturing is most clearly revealed in the debate around the future of work. Some aspects of women's lives have been incorporated into green thinking, particularly in the distinction between the feminine and masculine ‘principles’. Without a distinctively feminist perspective these principles are seen as cross‐gender and no account is taken of the imbalance of power between men and women that these ‘principles’ represent. In the absence of a positive integration between feminism and green thinking, green politics is in danger of reverting to, or never leaving, a masculinist stance reflecting the values of patriarchal society.
This paper will argue that ecofeminist political economy can make a major contribution to green e... more This paper will argue that ecofeminist political economy can make a major contribution to green economics. Ecofeminist political economy sees women's work and lives, like the natural world, as being externalised by current economic systems. Through an analysis of the gendering of economic systems, the paper explores alternative ways of conceptualising the provisioning of human societies. Central to this is a critique of conventional notions of 'the economy' and its dualist framework that only values marketable aspects of humanity and nature. The paper identifies the core elements of an ecofeminist analysis, including women's work as body work in biological time, and the necessarily embedded and localised nature of this work. From this perspective the paper goes on to explore conceptions of an embodied and embedded economics that would not be exploitative of women and nature.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions ... more In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions of debt. And the response, almost uniformly, has been austerity and privatization: cuts to services that have been painted as forms of reckless spending by a bloated public sector. In Debt or Democracy , Mary Mellor turns the whole conversation upside down, showing that the important question is not who owes what, but who controls the creation and circulation of money in the first place. When the problem is examined from that angle, it becomes clear that privatization, far from being the answer to our problem, is the very source of it—the subordination of public finance to private interest. A direct challenge to conventional economic thinking, Debt or Democracy offers a bracing new analysis of our economic crisis and offers cogent, radical alternatives to create a more just and sustainable economic future.
In Britain a new generation of worker cooperatives have emerged that differ from earlier phases o... more In Britain a new generation of worker cooperatives have emerged that differ from earlier phases of cooperative development in that they have been formed primarily to create jobs in response to the high level of unemployment. All the major political parties favour cooperative development and cooperative support organisations of various kinds have been set up at local and national level. This paper argues that such 'job creation' cooperatives and the organisations that support them have come under great pressure to prioritise job creation as against the formulation of effective and secure cooperative structures. This pressure arises because the policies surrounding cooperative development have not taken account of the severe economic pressures the cooperatives face and the consequent effect upon their ability to sustain the cooperative principles of ownership and control of the business by the people who work in it. In the light of the specific needs and problems of the new generation of worker cooperatives the paper argues that the concepts of cooperative ownership and control need to be reassessed, in particular in relation to membership. The distinction between a cooperative and a collective is also re-evaluated together with the need for cooperative structures to be replicated in other aspects of the local community.
The authors of this paper argue that worker co-ops need to be valued as an improvement in the qua... more The authors of this paper argue that worker co-ops need to be valued as an improvement in the quality of working life, yet all too often they and the agencies which support them are caught up in a “numbers game” of trying to maximise the number of jobs created in order to justify funding. It is important not to under-estimate the problem of under-capitalisation in co-ops, the stresses of establishing a new business for those with no management experience, and the cost and time needed for training. Co-ops are more an experiment in a new labour process than an easy cure for a dying economy.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions ... more In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions of debt. And the response, almost uniformly, has been austerity and privatization: cuts to services that have been painted as forms of reckless spending by a bloated public sector. In Debt or Democracy , Mary Mellor turns the whole conversation upside down, showing that the important question is not who owes what, but who controls the creation and circulation of money in the first place. When the problem is examined from that angle, it becomes clear that privatization, far from being the answer to our problem, is the very source of it—the subordination of public finance to private interest. A direct challenge to conventional economic thinking, Debt or Democracy offers a bracing new analysis of our economic crisis and offers cogent, radical alternatives to create a more just and sustainable economic future.
versations between academics and activists, and to forge coalitions amongst various social and en... more versations between academics and activists, and to forge coalitions amongst various social and environmental movements, is particularly important to this historical moment. The essays collected in Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature are a stimulating and welcome addition to this burgeoning body of critical thought.
for their careful reading of the text and very helpful comments and suggestions. Thanks also to r... more for their careful reading of the text and very helpful comments and suggestions. Thanks also to roger van Zwanenberg for helping frame the book and to two anonymous referees for very useful suggestions.
Degrowth is a rejection of the illusion of growth and a call to repoliticize the public debate co... more Degrowth is a rejection of the illusion of growth and a call to repoliticize the public debate colonized by the idiom of economism. It is a project advocating the democratically-led shrinking of production and consumption with the aim of achieving social justice and ecological sustainability.
This overview of degrowth offers a comprehensive coverage of the main topics and major challenges of degrowth in a succinct, simple and accessible manner. In addition, it offers a set of keywords useful for intervening in current political debates and for bringing about concrete degrowth-inspired proposals at different levels - local, national and global.
The result is the most comprehensive coverage of the topic of degrowth in English and serves as the definitive international reference.
More information at: vocabulary.degrowth.org
Tags: degrowth vocabulary, PDF, Full book, Download for free, PDF, download
In an earlier contribution to the journal, John Clark sought a dialogue between social ecology an... more In an earlier contribution to the journal, John Clark sought a dialogue between social ecology and ecosocialism and his paper is to be welcomed for extending that dialogue to ecofeminism.1 We have many points of agreement with Clark’s overall perspective: the need to recognize the dialectical relationship between the social and ecological aspects of human existence; the severity of the ecological crisis we face; the need for a radical response based on egalitarian principles; the role of grassroots, indigenous and other radical movements for environmental and social justice; the centrality of incorporating issues around gender. We also have points at which we diverge, in particular around his interpretation of the dialectical relationship between humanity and nature and his focus upon the care ethic as the most important insight from ecofeminism.
Concern with social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal has often focused on economic regeneratio... more Concern with social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal has often focused on economic regeneration and new ways of stimulating employment or selfemployment in local economies. One recent initiative has been to raise private money through a bond with the social aim of creating local employment. This paper explores the Newcastle Employment Bond, its structure, the philosophy behind it and the motivations and expectations of the people and organisations who invested in it. The paper asks whether the Bond can be seen as a model of ‘Third Way’ thinking, providing an alternative to state funding of social exclusion and employment initiatives or reliance on purely profit-oriented economic regeneration.
Many commentators have seen a ‘natural’ affiliation between the ecology movement and the feminist... more Many commentators have seen a ‘natural’ affiliation between the ecology movement and the feminist movement. The green movement has attracted many women members and supporters although the German Green Party has adopted the most overtly feminist stance. In Britain, neither feminism nor the presence of women appears to have had a profound effect on green politics. Ecofeminists argue that green politics should start from women's experience as women share with nature a common oppression at the hand of male‐dominated ‘progress’. They also share with the natural world a common experience of nurturing and life‐giving. The failure of mainstream (male) green thinking to incorporate women's experience of caring and nurturing is most clearly revealed in the debate around the future of work. Some aspects of women's lives have been incorporated into green thinking, particularly in the distinction between the feminine and masculine ‘principles’. Without a distinctively feminist perspective these principles are seen as cross‐gender and no account is taken of the imbalance of power between men and women that these ‘principles’ represent. In the absence of a positive integration between feminism and green thinking, green politics is in danger of reverting to, or never leaving, a masculinist stance reflecting the values of patriarchal society.
This paper will argue that ecofeminist political economy can make a major contribution to green e... more This paper will argue that ecofeminist political economy can make a major contribution to green economics. Ecofeminist political economy sees women's work and lives, like the natural world, as being externalised by current economic systems. Through an analysis of the gendering of economic systems, the paper explores alternative ways of conceptualising the provisioning of human societies. Central to this is a critique of conventional notions of 'the economy' and its dualist framework that only values marketable aspects of humanity and nature. The paper identifies the core elements of an ecofeminist analysis, including women's work as body work in biological time, and the necessarily embedded and localised nature of this work. From this perspective the paper goes on to explore conceptions of an embodied and embedded economics that would not be exploitative of women and nature.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions ... more In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions of debt. And the response, almost uniformly, has been austerity and privatization: cuts to services that have been painted as forms of reckless spending by a bloated public sector. In Debt or Democracy , Mary Mellor turns the whole conversation upside down, showing that the important question is not who owes what, but who controls the creation and circulation of money in the first place. When the problem is examined from that angle, it becomes clear that privatization, far from being the answer to our problem, is the very source of it—the subordination of public finance to private interest. A direct challenge to conventional economic thinking, Debt or Democracy offers a bracing new analysis of our economic crisis and offers cogent, radical alternatives to create a more just and sustainable economic future.
In Britain a new generation of worker cooperatives have emerged that differ from earlier phases o... more In Britain a new generation of worker cooperatives have emerged that differ from earlier phases of cooperative development in that they have been formed primarily to create jobs in response to the high level of unemployment. All the major political parties favour cooperative development and cooperative support organisations of various kinds have been set up at local and national level. This paper argues that such 'job creation' cooperatives and the organisations that support them have come under great pressure to prioritise job creation as against the formulation of effective and secure cooperative structures. This pressure arises because the policies surrounding cooperative development have not taken account of the severe economic pressures the cooperatives face and the consequent effect upon their ability to sustain the cooperative principles of ownership and control of the business by the people who work in it. In the light of the specific needs and problems of the new generation of worker cooperatives the paper argues that the concepts of cooperative ownership and control need to be reassessed, in particular in relation to membership. The distinction between a cooperative and a collective is also re-evaluated together with the need for cooperative structures to be replicated in other aspects of the local community.
The authors of this paper argue that worker co-ops need to be valued as an improvement in the qua... more The authors of this paper argue that worker co-ops need to be valued as an improvement in the quality of working life, yet all too often they and the agencies which support them are caught up in a “numbers game” of trying to maximise the number of jobs created in order to justify funding. It is important not to under-estimate the problem of under-capitalisation in co-ops, the stresses of establishing a new business for those with no management experience, and the cost and time needed for training. Co-ops are more an experiment in a new labour process than an easy cure for a dying economy.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions ... more In the wake of the global financial crisis, most of the discussion has been focused on questions of debt. And the response, almost uniformly, has been austerity and privatization: cuts to services that have been painted as forms of reckless spending by a bloated public sector. In Debt or Democracy , Mary Mellor turns the whole conversation upside down, showing that the important question is not who owes what, but who controls the creation and circulation of money in the first place. When the problem is examined from that angle, it becomes clear that privatization, far from being the answer to our problem, is the very source of it—the subordination of public finance to private interest. A direct challenge to conventional economic thinking, Debt or Democracy offers a bracing new analysis of our economic crisis and offers cogent, radical alternatives to create a more just and sustainable economic future.
versations between academics and activists, and to forge coalitions amongst various social and en... more versations between academics and activists, and to forge coalitions amongst various social and environmental movements, is particularly important to this historical moment. The essays collected in Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature are a stimulating and welcome addition to this burgeoning body of critical thought.
for their careful reading of the text and very helpful comments and suggestions. Thanks also to r... more for their careful reading of the text and very helpful comments and suggestions. Thanks also to roger van Zwanenberg for helping frame the book and to two anonymous referees for very useful suggestions.
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Books by Mary Mellor
This overview of degrowth offers a comprehensive coverage of the main topics and major challenges of degrowth in a succinct, simple and accessible manner. In addition, it offers a set of keywords useful for intervening in current political debates and for bringing about concrete degrowth-inspired proposals at different levels - local, national and global.
The result is the most comprehensive coverage of the topic of degrowth in English and serves as the definitive international reference.
More information at: vocabulary.degrowth.org
Tags: degrowth vocabulary, PDF, Full book, Download for free, PDF, download
Papers by Mary Mellor
This overview of degrowth offers a comprehensive coverage of the main topics and major challenges of degrowth in a succinct, simple and accessible manner. In addition, it offers a set of keywords useful for intervening in current political debates and for bringing about concrete degrowth-inspired proposals at different levels - local, national and global.
The result is the most comprehensive coverage of the topic of degrowth in English and serves as the definitive international reference.
More information at: vocabulary.degrowth.org
Tags: degrowth vocabulary, PDF, Full book, Download for free, PDF, download