Description

Research & Degrowth, (R&D) is an academic association dedicated to research, awareness raising, and events organization around the topic of degrowth. R&D defines degrowth as a multi-level voluntary path towards reduction of production and consumption aiming at ecological sustainability, good life, liberty, and social justice. For R&D, degrowth is grounded in ecology, ecological economics, anthropology, psychology, and social sciences in general. In the degrowth process, R&D is concerned with democracy, international cooperation, and understanding as opposed to societal closure, fragmentation and authoritarianism.

R&D strives to bring scientists, civil society, practitioners, and activists together to think, imagine, discuss, and create proposals for sustainable degrowth. R&D supports and aims to maintain a diversity of degrowth strategies for achieving social equity and ecological sustainability, including:

*grass-roots action and institutional interventions;

*academic and practical work;

*building of alternatives and opposition to environmentally and socially destructive projects and policies;

*local and international level work.

 

At present R&D conducts the majority of its local activities in Spain and France, while organizing and co-organizing international events in various parts of Europe and beyond. R&D has presently about fifteen active members based in Barcelona and France. It has created an informal network with members in more than 40 countries.

ACTIVITIES

Currently its main activities are concentrated in:

*The organization of international and local conferences on degrowth (see barcelona.degrowth.org, and degrowthconference ), planning of future ones and as well as special sessions on degrowth within various academic conferences.

*Organization of regular readings.

*Preparation of scientific articles and special issues (see Journal of Cleaner Production, Ecological Economics)

*Assembling and spreading a bi-monthly newsletter with information on upcoming academic and other degrowth related events, articles and books; contributing to De-magazine.

*Co-ordination and further development of degrowth political, policy and research proposals .

*Providing analysis and perspectives on current events and news from a degrowth perspective.

*Promoting the international networking of researchers, practitioners and activists around degrowth.

*Dissemination of the ideas of degrowth through general public articles, interviews and participation or co-organization of conferences, festivals and events in general.