Buchs, M. orcid.org/0000-0001-6304-3196, Koch, M. and Lee, J. (2024) Sustainable Welfare: Decoupling Welfare from Growth and Prioritising Needs Satisfaction for All. In: Eastwood, L. and Heron, K., (eds.) De Gruyter Handbook of Degrowth. De Gruyter Handbooks in Business, Economics and Finance . De Gruyter , pp. 89-106. ISBN 9783110778038
Abstract
Welfare capitalism has developed in the context of rapidly expanding, fossil fuel-driven industrial economies. Faced with the urgent need for systematic changes of economic systems so that they stay within planetary limits, decoupling welfare from economic growth is an important task. This chapter introduces the concept of sustainable welfare, referring to welfare systems that prioritise the satisfaction of human needs within planetary boundaries. Rather than aligning with the growth imperative through income protection schemes for the socio-economically marginalised and investments in human capital equipped for globalised and competitive economies, sustainable welfare states would prioritise eco-social policies, aiming at basic needs satisfaction for all, limiting excessive consumption behaviours and restricting income and wealth inequalities that have been exacerbated in recent decades. The chapter discusses the ways in which the mutual dependency between welfare systems and economic growth can be decreased by addressing the work and welfare nexus, shifting funding sources for welfare systems, strengthening preventive functions of welfare and redefining the chief goal of welfare systems as sustainable needs satisfaction for all. The chapter further discusses how the governance of this transition process to sustainable welfare can be envisioned, where multi-level governance models and deliberative processes will play a crucial role.
Metadata
Item Type: | Book Section |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 29 Feb 2024 12:14 |
Last Modified: | 29 Feb 2024 12:14 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | De Gruyter |
Series Name: | De Gruyter Handbooks in Business, Economics and Finance |
Identification Number: | 10.1515/9783110778359-008 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:209704 |