Welcome to the Summer 2023 edition of the APPG on Limits to Growth Newsletter, where we summarise the APPG’s recent activities and highlight some of the latest developments in postgrowth thinking and policymaking, in the UK and internationally.
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NHS and Innovation in the Health Service | Natalie Bennett reflecting on persistent growth fixation in Lords debate
On Thursday 15 June, members of the Lords debated the current performance of the NHS and innovation in the health service. The government is fixated on “growing the economy” and generating profits, instead of social innovation to deliver health, and other goods, for people. APPG member Natalie Bennett reflected on this as a speaker in the debate.
First Wellbeing Economy Forum hosted by Government of Iceland
In June this year, Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir hosted the first Wellbeing Economy Forum in Reykjavík to discuss the interconnections between wellbeing and sustainability. The Forum included discussants from politics, science and civil society.
Pathways towards Sustainable Prosperity in the EU—Second Post-Growth Conference at EU parliament
Between 15-17 May 2023 over 5,000 people came together to discuss the actualisation of a sustainable postgrowth future at a conference hosted by the European Parliament. The #BeyondGrowth event was a cross-party initiative by MEPs from five different political groups, organised in conjunction with over 60 partner organisations.
Transition to a Wellbeing Economy | Early Day Motion #1141
The Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Limits to Growth recently tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM), asking: That this House welcomes the call made by President Michael D Higgins of Ireland, on 28th April 2023, to look beyond the current obsession with economic growth and rebalance economy, ecology and ethics.
APPG on Limits to Growth | Newsletter, April 2023
Highlighting the APPG’s activities over the last months, and round up the latest developments in postgrowth thinking and policymaking in the UK and abroad.
Limits to Growth—a 50-year celebration of a seminal work which continues to influence and challenge global economics today
On 19 October 2022, the APPG joined with the Club of Rome in Portcullis House to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Limits to Growth, and to mark the publication of the Club’s new book, Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity.
Financial Services and Markets Bill | Reasoned amendment objecting to 2nd Reading in Parliament
APPG members tabling ‘reasoned amendment’ to prevent the UK Government’s Financial Services and Markets Bill from passing its second reading; on the basis that it creates a renewed “objective to promote growth and competitiveness, rather than making the creation of a wellbeing economy designed to foster long-term economic resilience and prosperity its overarching objective”.
Quality of life in the UK: Office of National Statistics measuring progress beyond GDP
The 12th of August 2022 marked another step forward for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its programme to inform understanding of economic, environmental and social progress more broadly than can be captured in traditional measures of the size of the UK economy in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Achieving Economic Growth—Clive Lewis MP questioning growth mindset at Queen’s Speech debates
Contribution to the Queen’s Speech debates, 18 May 2022, from APPG vice-chair Clive Lewis MP, questioning the function and desirability of GDP growth as a measure of economic success.
UK Infrastructure Bank Bill | Baroness Natalie Bennett introducing amendment to remove ‘economic growth’ rhetoric
Raising further awareness around unintended, often adversarial effects of growth-promoting policies, APPG member Baroness Natalie Bennett introduced an amendment to the UK Infrastructure Bank Bill, amongst others, to replace references to economic growth with “direct improvements of life outcomes in disadvantaged areas”.
Aligning the UK’s economic goals with environmental sustainability | EAC inquiry on the limits of GDP and ways to measure real progress
With this inquiry, the EAC examined how the UK Government could incorporate environmental sustainability into its leading measures of UK economic success, addressing questions around ‘inclusive wealth’, measurement of national wellbeing, and national government accounting.
APPG on Limits to Growth | Newsletter, March 2022
In this edition of the newsletter, we report on the APPG’s recent activities on finanical practices in the adult social care sector, an EAC oral evidence session on aligning the UK’s economic goals with environmental sustainability, the latest on the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill and a review briefing of the Government’s outcome delivery plans.
Targeting Sustainability—A review of the UK Government’s outcome delivery plans | Briefing Paper
In July 2021 the UK Government introduced a new system of outcome delivery plans (ODPs), designed to improve its focus on the delivery of key national priorities. This briefing examines this initial collection of ODPs, and holds it up to the findings of previous research on good practice—especially relating to the environment and wellbeing (sustainable prosperity) agenda.
Tackling predatory financial practices in the adult social care sector | Briefing note for Health and Care Bill Committee stage amendments 237, 238 and 239
This briefing note covers Health and Care Bill Committee stage amendments 237, 238 and 239. They seek to address the use of predatory financial practices by private sector firms operating in the adult social care sector. They have been tabled by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and were discussed on 4 February 2022.
APPG on Limits to Growth | Newsletter, December 2021
This newsletter reports on a recent event at which the APPG on Limits to Growth (jointly with the APPG on the Green New Deal) launched a new briefing on finance and public debt in the context of the levelling-up agenda and vital climate goals. We highlight the APPG’s latest activities, and latest developments in postgrowth thinking and policymaking, in the UK and internationally.
Predatory financial practices and the adult social care sector | Early Day Motion #767
APPG vice chair Clive Lewis MP tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) to call on the Government to address the predatory financial practices as exposed in the recent BBC Panorama reportage ‘Crisis in Care: Follow the Money’ by amending the Health and Care Bill to prevent financial assistance being mis-used. Co-sponsors of the motion are Caroline Lucas, Dan Carden, Kate Hollern, Kim Johnson and Jim Shannon.
Tackling predatory financial practices in the adult social care sector | Briefing note for second reading of the Health and Care Bill
The Health and Care Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords on Tuesday 7 December. Coinciding with a new Panorama investigation, Crisis in Care: Follow the Money, this briefing proposes three ways in which the Health and Care Bill should be amended to tackle the harmful impacts of financialisation in the care home sector.
Wellbeing economy approach to meeting climate goals | Westminster Hall debate, 30 Nov 2021
APPG chair Caroline Lucas secured a debate in Westminster Hall at 4.30pm on 30 November on the following topic: “That this House has considered a wellbeing economy approach to meeting climate goals”. This follows an official parliamentary petition on the wellbeing economy, supported by several members of the APPG, which reached almost 70,000 signatures.
Beyond the Debt Controversy—Fiscal and monetary policy for the post-pandemic era | Briefing Paper
In the years since the financial crisis, a heated debate has broken out amongst macroeconomists about the appropriate roles of fiscal and monetary policy in managing public sector debt. This briefing introduces the main lines of argument on both sides of the controversy. It finds i.a. that a return to fiscal austeritywould be both dangerous and unjustified and that moving beyond ideology is key to the levelling-up agenda.