Transformation beyond Capitalism? The case for Degrowth!

The global pandemic of the coronavirus has demonstrated the dangers of continuing economic growth. Relentless human encroachment on nature has facilitate the transfer of dangerous viruses from animals to humans. Kallis, Paulson, D’Alisa and Demaria’s new book The case for Degrowth (Polity Press, 2020) makes an important argument for why humanity can no longer pursue economic growth policies. In this blog post, I will highlight some of the authors' key contributions.

 

Fighting for Water book launch: Recording and Responses to questions.

In my new book Fighting for Water: Resisting Privatization in Europe (Zed Books), I am investigating the underlying dynamics of the successful struggles against water privatization around the Italian referendum in 2011, the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Water and Sanitation are a Human Right’ in 2012/2013, the ongoing struggles against water privatization in Greece as well as the struggles against water charges in Ireland between 2014 and 2016. The online book launch hosted by the Fives Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham, UK on 7 July generated several interesting questions. In this blog post, there is first a link to the recording of the book launch, before I will address these questions.

When football players become the moral compass of a nation

Something astonishing is happening in the UK. While there is a government characterised by sleaze and corruption completely lacking any sense of morality, it is football players who step forward and challenge inequality and discrimination in society. Whether it is Marcus Rashford pushing the government into ensuring that children continue to receive free school meals during holidays (Guardian, 8 November 2020) or the English national team taking the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the struggle against structural racism (Guardian, 18 June 2021), they work towards social justice. Unlike the current government, they are fully aware of their function as role models for wider society and they live up to it.