Economic growth — measured by GDP — has been the dominant goal of governments for over seventy years. The assumption is that more growth means more prosperity. Post-growth thinkers challenge this at its foundations. They argue that GDP is a poor proxy for human wellbeing, that infinite growth on a finite planet is physically impossible, and that the ecological destruction wrought by growth has already exceeded several planetary boundaries. Green growth advocates respond that technological innovation will allow economies to grow while reducing their environmental impact — so-called decoupling. Post-growth economists contest this, citing evidence that absolute decoupling at the necessary scale has not been achieved. The debate goes to the heart of what economies are actually for: the accumulation of wealth, or the sustainable provision of human flourishing.

💡 Did you know? Bhutan measures Gross National Happiness rather than GDP as its primary national indicator. The index measures living standards, health, education, governance, and ecological resilience alongside economic factors.