Green Growth and Post-Growth: Navigating Conflicting Approaches to Sustainability

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Nolan, S orcid iconORCID: 0000-0001-9625-8273 (2026) Green Growth and Post-Growth: Navigating Conflicting Approaches to Sustainability. In: Wall, T, Ogunyemi, K, Girei, E, Blasco, M, Antonacopoulou, EP and Nkomo, SM, (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Management Educationand the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Elgar Companions to the Sustainable Development Goals . Elgar, pp. 53-61. ISBN 9781035337163

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Abstract

This chapter explores the tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It examines the post-growth movement's critique of mainstream economic thinking, which prioritises continuous GDP growth, and contrasts this with the green growth advocated by many international organisations. These different approaches to the ecological crisis centre around whether the challenges of decoupling economic growth from resource use and environmental degradation can be overcome. I explore how mainstream economics argues that technology can allow for economic change which avoids many of the political and practical difficulties of implementing post-growth ideas. Whilst there are significant gaps between post-growth and mainstream economic perspectives, some areas of convergence exist typified by the increased interest in industrial policy and recognition of growth limitations in developed economies. This common ground, however small, suggests the terrain on which a new greener economy may be built.

Item Type: Book Section
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Divisions: Liverpool Business School
Publisher: Elgar
Date of acceptance: 1 July 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access: 30 January 2026
Date Deposited: 30 Jan 2026 11:10
Last Modified: 30 Jan 2026 11:10
DOI or ID number: 10.4337/9781035337170.00014
Editors: Wall, T, Ogunyemi, K, Girei, E, Blasco, M, Antonacopoulou, EP and Nkomo, SM
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28010
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