In Vincent Liegey and Anitra Nelson, Exploring Degrowth, A Critical Guide (Pluto Press, September 2020):
Appendix 3: Implementing the unconditional autonomy allowance: transitionary steps
This appendix is adapted and updated from Vincent Liegey et al., Un Projet de Décroissance, Utopia, 2013, see: www.projet-decroissance.net
The unconditional autonomy allowance is not a magical recipe but offers diverse pathways, a coherent convergence of complementary levels and approaches. It is driven by cultural transformation, a decolonisation of our imaginary, rather than being a technical tool to solve all institutional, economic and political problems. It is envisaged as one pathway within an emancipating, democratic and serene transition from growthism to sustainable, desirable, relocalised but connected, open, convivial and autonomous societies. This appendix identifies desirable, realistic steps leaving open questions: What are our basic needs? What, and how, do we satisfy/produce them?
| Step | Levers | Achievements and advantages | Barriers and risks | Convergence |
| 0 | CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION
Adopting a paradigm switch, decolonisation of the growth imaginary precipitates changes in everyday practices – a continuous process |
Polls and studies show urgently needed awareness is under way
But the growth ideal is still strong, in particular failing to structurally abate growth mania |
Change slow due to advertising, lack of time and space for debate in elite-controlled mainstream media, debt slavery (loans) and employment
This step needs others to facilitate it, namely democratisation and the acceleration of an emancipating decolonisation of the growth imaginary |
All these degrowth steps need to converge with expanding and multiplying exemplary practices and spaces for experimenting with new ways to produce, exchange and make decisions
Convergence with other social movements necessary for adoption, including in law, for direct governance of commons and for freedom from paid work Requires progressive implementation of an acceptable maximum income; democratic re-appropriation of the monetary system (public debt, money creation, fiscal evasion) to re-embed the economy |
| 1 | GRASSROOTS PRACTICES
Implementation and extension of local concrete alternatives, initiatives, initially pilots and demonstrations, ultimately creating self-governing formations and commoning |
Alternative economic structure in formation with useful results leading to developments of appropriate models.
Visible and scholarly impacts |
Activities difficult to integrate with current state and market structures; compete and conflict with mainstream practices
Not fully functional until radical transformation to commons governance and commoning economies |
|
| 2 | ALTERING WORK
Voluntary reduction of working hours through part-time and sharing roles – allowing free time to support degrowth formations and transition |
Addresses current unemployment and precarity
Addresses work–life balance Numerous voluntary changes occurring; numbers of people consider this feasible |
Need unions and parties to support part-time work and more flexible working conditions
Managers of conventional workplaces can be prejudiced against degrowth advocates and activists Unless there is broader change beyond work sphere, elites may end up controlling even more resources |
|
| 3 | UNCONDITIONAL BASIC INCOME
Implementing an unconditional basic income initially depends at least in part on formal monetary flows |
Under debate
Some successful small-scale pilots Offers opportunities for liberation from work to engage in degrowth transitions |
Needs mass, broad spread implementation and measures to avoid abuse, i.e. particular political, cultural and economic supports
Challenges in avoiding shocks to food supply-chain given high level of complexity and fragility |
|
| 4 | PROGRESSIVE DEMONETISATION
Unconditional basic income becomes a fully fledged unconditional autonomy allowance |
Establishing decentralised and relocalised exchange networks
Democratic and peaceful re-embedding of the economy via voluntary democratic deliberation in favour of unconditional autonomy allowance Open relocalisation creates solidarities balancing the logic of subsidiarity and counter-revolutionary power |
Might increase inequalities and tensions between territories due to disruptions in trade and financing arrangements |
