Towards a critical understanding of work in ecological economics: A postwork perspective

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

In this paper we critically assess common perceptions of work to inform current debates on work in ecological economics. Work is usually conceived as (1) a productive activity (2) that satisfies consumer demand, (3) is conducive to health and well-being, and (4) ensures social inclusion and personal development. Drawing on the burgeoning literature of postwork or critiques of work, we argue that work may rather be understood as a biophysically intense, consumption-causing, heteronomous institution with ambivalent health impacts that stabilises societies in environmentally and socially unsustainable ways. Therefore, work should be radically reduced and organised differently so that it is no longer the main mechanism for livelihood provisioning and social inclusion. Based on our fourfold critique of work developed in this paper, we sketch out a postwork research agenda for ecological economics.

Original languageEnglish
Article number107935
JournalEcological Economics
Volume212
Number of pages9
ISSN0921-8009
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.10.2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

    Research areas

  • Critique of work, Ecological economics, Employment, Postwork, Social-ecological transformation, Sustainability, Work
  • Sustainability Science

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Machen Urlaubsreisen glücklich?
  2. European and national law in history and future
  3. Inexistent Ink
  4. Spanish-speaking caregivers’ use of referential labels with toddlers is a better predictor of later vocabulary than their use of referential gestures
  5. Strategies to Induce Non-cooperating Countries to Join a Climate-policy Coalition
  6. Value, values, symbols and outcomes
  7. Grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys by carbon inoculation
  8. Helping to improve suggestion systems
  9. Sensitive, simultaneous determination of P, S, Cl, Br and I containing pesticides in environmental samples by GC hyphenated with collision-cell ICP-MS
  10. Investigation on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg–Gd–Nd Ternary Alloys
  11. Editorial overview
  12. Endogenous environmental policy for small open economies with transboundary pollution
  13. Cross-cultural differences in consumers' perception of the credibility of cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns
  14. Comparing the fatigue performance of Ti-4Al-0.005B titanium alloy T-joints, welded via different friction stir welding sequences
  15. Remaining time and opportunities at work: Relationships between age, work characteristics, and occupational future time perspective
  16. Guest Editorial
  17. A multivariate, multilevel analysis of the relationship between cognitive abilities and scholastic achievement
  18. Explaining primary school teachers’ intention to use digital learning platforms for students’ individualized practice
  19. Author Correction: Widening global variability in grassland biomass since the 1980s
  20. QUANT - Question Answering Benchmark Curator
  21. How to Assess Knowledge Cumulation in Environmental Governance Research? Conceptual and Empirical Explorations
  22. The Microstructure of the Great Export Collapse in German Manufacturing Industries, 2008/2009
  23. Utilization of phenolic compounds by microalgae
  24. Der Medienmanager - Unternehmer im Unternehmen

Press / Media

  1. Interview für NDR Das!