Suchergebnisse

The subsequent article, 'Enough! Global challenges & responsible lifestyles', written by Goran Backstrand & Lars Ingelstam, is a follow-up, thirty years later, to their 1975 paper entitled 'How Much is Enough? -- Another Sweden'. That paper, which was written as a part of What Now, gave rise to an intense national debate. It proposed a number of reductions in Swedish consumption patterns in light of the need to share resources among the world's countries more equitably. & it offered a blueprint of what an alternative development pattern for a rich industrialised country like Sweden should be like from the point of view of international equity. Backstrand & Ingelstam's contribution to the present issue of Development Dialogue asks: How does the 1975 vision stand today? Focusing chiefly on the issue of economic equity, the 1975 blueprint for 'another Sweden', they conclude, gave insufficient attention to ecological constraints, human security, & the diversity of actors on the international political scene. However, they contend, the basic proposal -- that a more equitable world requires lifestyle changes in rich countries -- remains valid today. Curbing consumption in the rich countries is necessary not only to foster equity but also to improve the rich world's own quality of life. Beyond a certain income & consumption level, which rich countries as a whole have already passed, individuals & societies do not experience improvements in quality of life. For Backstrand & Ingelstam the conclusion is clear: if the goal of economic growth is increased human well-being, the rich world ought to lessen its aspiration for rising levels of growth, consumption & wealth. Indicators that assess human well-being & quality of life, instead of the limited GDP measure, ought to be a central pillar in future politics. Figures. Adapted from the source document.