Degrowth : a movement or a vision? Identifying barriers and potentials for a powerful agent of change for the socio-ecological transformation in Barcelona

Abstract: Our current economic system is inherently unsustainable. The ‘growth fetishism’ not only is the dominant paradigm of our economies, but goes way deeper into our understanding of how well-being is defined and can be improved. The concept of ‘degrowth’ tries to question this hegemony. However, so far, degrowth has not entered the public debate in a sufficient way. I argue that degrowth needs more insights in how to steer the transformation, besides the extensive research that has already been done on the question of “why degrowth?”. Drawing on the example of Barcelona, I identify social movements as the agent of change towards a socio-ecological transformation. I follow Erik Olin Wright’s concept of emancipatory social science and his call for ‘real utopias”, diagnosing that in the present day, there is no real degrowth movement in Barcelona, but rather a so-called ‘critical community’. I identify a strong degrowth movement in Barcelona as a desirable alternative to steer the socio-ecological transformation. Using mainly Felix Kolb’s ‘Partial theory of social movements’, I show its viability. Based on interviews with different scholars barriers to a degrowth movement are uncovered. The strength is undermined by an insufficient connection of academia to the local setting, the population’s material needs and different social classes as well as weak ties between academia and activism. On the strategy level, missing alliances and competing viewpoints on strategic choices hinder the formation of a strong movement. I further analyze the potentials for the emergence of a degrowth movement in the political sphere. I conclude that the political institutional structure of Spain and Barcelona can be classified as rather ‘open’ and evidence of an existing elite conflict is given. Additionally, a relative instability in alignments as well as several potential allies in the political sphere do provide a range of potentials for a degrowth movement. However, the window of opportunity in the aftermath of the economic crisis is closing. Besides, a current lack of support amongst the popular public opinion and a closed political space due to the Catalan independence struggle can hinder the emergence of a degrowth movement. I propose several leverage points to overcome the existing challenges, including the formation of alliances to a broader movement which incorporates claims of redistribution to acknowledge the material needs of the people struggling in Barcelona in the present day.