Esa's Notebook

A Finnish Professor of Social Policy Heikki Hiilamo wrote (Finnish YLE site) in his column on 16.11.2023 about an important topic: the price of economic growth. According to him, radical environmental activists talk about a post-growth economy. According to Hiilamo, it is a dangerous utopia reminiscent of the failed social experiments of communism.

In the 60s and 70s, the goal of communism was to create a better world by destroying class society. The communists thought that the happiness of ordinary people was hindered by capitalism and by the owning class, which only sought exploitation and the promotion of its own well-being at the expense of the majority.

The degrowth movement that has now emerged, also known as the post-growth movement, repeats this same agenda: it blames capitalism for destroying nature, and proposes that the solution is to destroy capitalism, because the economic growth of rich countries threatens the future of the planet.

The movement also argues that high-income countries should stop pursuing economic growth and start so-called post-growth economic policy. Its principles are adequacy, equality and well-being. As Hiilamo writes, the means are radical: flying, private cars, fast fashion, weapons, cruises and villas, and industrial meat and dairy production should be abandoned, income and wealth inequalities should be narrowed down, and a maximum income should be imposed. Does this sound like communism? Yes.

Personally, I think it is unrealistic to think that curbing economic growth with the aforementioned range of communist tools will improve the well-being of societies in any way. It didn’t do it in the 20s or 30s or 60s and 70s, or in any country where it has been tried.

Economic growth is essential to ensure continued prosperity. To do otherwise will lead to social chaos. Economic growth lays the foundation for building a sensible ecological structure for society. 

I think the degrowth movement just reveals what the environment movement is all about. Radical environmentalist ideology, as well as the peace movement, pacifism, radical feminism, atheism, etc. – are essentially the same post-communist agenda. Its purpose is not to increase social equality and peace. No. Its purpose is to dismantle the Western system based on a market economy. The agenda involves dismantling the energy infrastructure of Western societies, undermining their internal sense of belonging, breaking their mental backbone, and blinding them to the political history of European ideologies.  The purpose of the agenda is to create a heterogeneous, contentious and weak Western system that would eventually collapse.

Until now, the West has been too naïve.