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Scientific paper

Text

Degrowth, the financial system and the pension system

Author:
Joachim H. Spangenberg

Entry type:
Scientific paper

Year of publication:
2014

Publishers:
Degrowth Conference Leipzig 2014

Language:
English

Abstract: It has been argued that degrowth would lead to a catastrophic economic collapse triggered by a collapse of stock exchange values. However, this analysis rests on several flawed assumptions: (i) an outdated view on stock market mechanisms and values (ii) the assumption that the stock market mechanisms would remain unchanged in a degrowth economy (iii) unchanged expectations of benefits from the stock market and (iv) a misperception of economic processes e.g. under a resource capping approach caused by the theory of economic agents. While (i) and (ii) call for a new realism in analysing stock market processes, (iv) is a deficit of macroeconomic theory leading to the expectation of collapse as a result of oversimplification. (iii) points to a serious problem any degrowing society has to solve: the distribution of income between labour, capital and public institutions / the state, including social security and pension systems.

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