Innovation for a Steady State: A Case for Responsible Stagnation

The proponents of responsible innovation (RI) have often opened their discussions with the reassurance that while they are against irresponsible innovation, they are also not advocating irresponsible stagnation. However, in the two-by-two matrix generally used to illustrate this model of innovation, the quadrant for responsible stagnation has so far gone largely unmentioned, let alone explored. This paper draws on existing real-world cases to examine what arguments drawn from ecological economics might contribute to the discussion of RI, and whether opening the black box of 'Responsible Stagnation' might also open the door for a reasoned discussion about the need for controlled, responsible degrowth of unproductive or over-productive sectors and technologies, as an intrinsic part of responsibly innovating to meet the Grand Societal Challenges facing an increasingly overburdened world.