Tim Jackson FRSA FAcSS (born 1957) is a British ecological economist and professor of sustainable development at the University of Surrey. He is the director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP),[1] a multi-disciplinary, international research consortium which aims to understand the economic, social and political dimensions of sustainable prosperity. Tim Jackson is the author of Prosperity Without Growth (2009 and 2017) and Material Concerns (1996). In 2016, he received the Hillary Laureate for exceptional mid-career Leadership.[2] His most recent book Post Growth—Life After Capitalism was published in March 2021 by Polity Press.[3]

Tim Jackson
Jackson in 2018
Born (1957-06-04) 4 June 1957 (age 67)
NationalityBritish
Academic background
Alma mater
Academic work
Sub-disciplineEcological economics
InstitutionsUniversity of Surrey
Notable worksProsperity Without Growth (2009)
Material Concerns (1996)
Websitetimjackson.org.uk Edit this at Wikidata

Work

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Academic work

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For more than twenty five years, he has worked internationally on sustainable consumption and production.[4] During five years at the Stockholm Environment Institute in the early 1990s, he pioneered the concept of preventative environmental management outlined in his 1996 book Material Concerns – pollution profit and quality of life.[5]

From 1995 to 2000, Jackson held an EPSRC fellowship on the Thermodynamics of Clean Technologies. From 2003 to 2005, he held a Professorial Research Fellowship on the social psychology of sustainable consumption. From 2006 to 2011 Jackson was Director of the ESRC Research group on Lifestyles, Values and Environment. From 2010 to 2014, he was Director of the Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group. From 2013 to 2017, he was ESRC Professioral Research Fellow on Prosperity and Sustainability in the Green Economy.[6] Since 2018 he sits on the advisory board of the ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies.[7]

Since 2003, his research has focused on consumption, lifestyle and sustainability. In 2005, the Sustainable Development Research Network[8] published his widely cited review Motivating Sustainable Consumption.[9] A respective Earthscan 'Reader' in Sustainable Consumption was issued in 2006.[10] During 2006 and 2007 Tim Jackson was advisor and a regular contributor to BBC Newsnight's Ethical Man series.[11]

In his function as Economics Commissioner on the Sustainable Development Commission,[12] he authored a controversial report, later published by Earthscan/Routledge as Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet (2009). A substantially revised second edition (Prosperity Without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow) was published in January 2017.[13] By arguing that "prosperity – in any meaningful sense of the word – transcends material concerns",[14] the book summarises the evidence showing that, beyond a certain point, growth does not increase human wellbeing. Prosperity without Growth analyses the complex relationships between growth, environmental crises and social recession. It proposes a route to a sustainable economy, and argues for a redefinition of "prosperity" in light of the evidence on what really contributes to people's wellbeing.[15] In the wake of technological progress and the pursuit of ever-increasing profits, financial growth and its "skewed priorities" are linked to human exploitation and environmental destruction, which Jackson refers to as the "age of irresponsibility".[16] "The clearest message from the financial crisis of 2008 is that our current model of economic success is fundamentally flawed. For the advanced economies of the Western world, prosperity without growth is no longer a utopian dream. It is a financial and ecological necessity."[17]

The book was described by Le Monde as "one of the most outstanding pieces of environmental economics literature in recent years."[18] The sociologist Anthony Giddens referred to it as "a must-read for anyone concerned with issues of climate change and sustainability – bold, original and comprehensive."[18] Prosperity without Growth has been translated into 17 languages including Swedish, German, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and Chinese.

Tim Jackson was the founder and director of RESOLVE (Research Group on Lifestyles Values and Environment),[19] of its follow-on project: the Defra/ESRC Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group (SLRG),[20] and held an ERSC Professorial Fellowship on Prosperity and Sustainability in the Green Economy (PASSAGE).[21] His current work includes – in collaboration with Peter Victor of York University in Toronto[22] – the development of stock-flow consistent (SFC) macroeconomic simulation models, showing that improved environmental and social outcomes are possible even as the growth rate declines to zero.[23][24]

Playwright

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In addition to his academic and advisory work,[4] Jackson is a playwright with numerous BBC Radio writing credits to his name.[25] His 30 episode environmental drama series Cry of the Bittern won a 1997 Public Awareness of Science (PAWS) Drama Award. The Language of Flowers, a drama documentary about the life and work of the 18th-century poet Christopher Smart, won the 2004 Prix Marulić. Jackson's most recent play, Variations, written around a Beethoven sonata of the same name, won the 2007 Grand Prix Marulić[26] and was longlisted for the 2008 Sony awards.[27]

Publications

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  • Post Growth—Life after capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press. March 2021.[3]
  • The Transition to a Sustainable Prosperity-A Stock-Flow-Consistent Ecological Macroeconomic Model for Canada. Tim Jackson and Peter Victor. Ecological Economics, Vol 177.[24]
  • Wellbeing Matters—Tackling growth dependency. A Policy Briefing for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Limits to Growth. Tim Jackson, February 2020.[28]
  • The Transition to a Sustainable Prosperity—A Stock-Flow-Consistent Ecological Macroeconomic Model for Canada. Tim Jackson and Peter Victor. In Ecological Economics, July 2020.[29]
  • The Post-Growth Challenge — Secular Stagnation, Inequality and the Limits to Growth. Tim Jackson, CUSP Working Paper No 12. Guildford: University of Surrey. May 2018.[30]
  • Confronting inequality in a post-growth world – basic income, factor substitution and the future of work. Tim Jackson, and Peter Victor. CUSP Working Paper No 11. Guildford: University of Surrey. April 2018.[31]
  • Does slow growth increase inequality? Some reflections on Piketty’s ‘fundamental’ laws of capitalism, Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, PASSAGE Working Paper 14-01, Guildford: University of Surrey, August 2014[32]
  • Green economy at community scale, Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, Metcalf Foundation: Toronto, November 2013[33]
  • Developing an Ecological Macroeconomics, Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, Centre for International Governance Innovation, cigionline.org, 11 September 2013[34]
  • Angst essen Seele auf – Escaping the 'iron cage' of consumerism, Tim Jackson, Wuppertal Spezial (Vol 48), Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy[35]
  • Consumerism as Theodicy – an exploration of religions and secular meaning functions (with M. Pepper). In Thomas, L (ed): Consuming Paradise. Oxford: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010.
  • New economic model needed not relentless consumer demand, Tim Jackson for The Guardian Blog, 17 January 2013[36]
  • The Cinderella economy: an answer to unsustainable growth?, Tim Jackson for The Ecologist, 27 July 2012[37]
  • Let's be less productive, Tim Jackson for The New York Times, 26 May 2012[38]
  • Dismount and die? The paradox of sustainable living, Tim Jackson for The Guardian, 29 June 2011[39]
  • Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet. London and New York: Earthscan/Routledge, 2009.[18]
    • Second edition with the title Prosperity Without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow in 2017.
  • The Earthscan Reader on Sustainable Consumption. London and New York: Earthscan/Routledge, 2006[40]
  • Material concerns: pollution, profit, and quality of life. SEI, Stockholm Environment Institute; London, New York: Routledge, 1996.[5]

Politics

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Prior to the 2015 general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas.[41] He was Economics Commissioner[42] on the UK's Sustainable Development Commission set up by the Labour Government under Gordon Brown in June 2000 and closed by the Coalition Government in March 2011.[43]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "CUSP". Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  2. ^ [1] Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine | Tim Jackson named 2016 Hillary Laureate | last visited: 27 June 2016
  3. ^ a b Jackson, Tim (2021). Post Growth. Life After Capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN 978-1509542529.
  4. ^ a b Tim Jackson Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine at the University of Surrey | last visited: 17 April 2013
  5. ^ a b Material concerns: pollution, profit, and quality of life Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine Stockholm Environment Institute; London, New York: Routledge, 1996]
  6. ^ Resumée Archived 22 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine on TimJackson.org.uk. (accessed 2018-01-22).
  7. ^ "Prof Tim Jackson – ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies". Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  8. ^ Homepage Archived 30 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine of the Sustainable Development Research Network
  9. ^ Motivating Sustainable Consumption Archived 24 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine Report to the Sustainable Development Research Network | January 2005
  10. ^ The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Consumption Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine | Earthscan, 2006
  11. ^ Carbon Footprint for Newsnight's Ethical Man Series Archived 4 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine | last visited: 25 May 2012
  12. ^ Tim Jackson Archived 20 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine | the new economics foundation | neweconomics.org | last visited: 25 May 2012
  13. ^ "Routledge | Featured Author: Tim Jackson". Routledge. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  14. ^ Has Western capitalism failed? Archived 18 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine Tim Jackson for BBC 22 September 2011 | last visited: 25 May 2012
  15. ^ Prosperity without Growth? – The transition to a sustainable economy Archived 1 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine Report for the SDC 03.2011 | last visited: 25 May 2012
  16. ^ Walker, Stuart (2012). "The Object of Nightingales: Design Values for a Meaningful Material Culture". Design and Culture. 4 (2): 149–170. doi:10.2752/175470812X13281948975459. S2CID 145281245.
  17. ^ Prosperity without Growth? Archived 14 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Report | Summary | last visited: 25 May 2012
  18. ^ a b c "Routledge Website for Prosperity Without Growth". Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  19. ^ RESOLVE Archived 23 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine | Research Group on Lifestyles Values and Environment | resolve.sustainablelifestyles.ac.uk | last visited: 3 April 2014
  20. ^ SLRG Archived 20 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group | last visited: 3 April 2014
  21. ^ "PASSAGE project website". Prosperity and Sustainability in the Green Economy. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  22. ^ Peter Victor Archived 6 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine | Official Website | last visited: 27 May 2012
  23. ^ Post-Growth Economics | Overview of modelling work with Prof Peter Victor | www.timjackson.org.uk | last visited: 23 October 2020
  24. ^ a b Jackson, Tim; Victor, Peter A. (1 November 2020). "The Transition to a Sustainable Prosperity-A Stock-Flow-Consistent Ecological Macroeconomic Model for Canada". Ecological Economics. 177: 106787. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106787. ISSN 0921-8009.
  25. ^ Tim Jackson's plays Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine listed on official website | last visited: 10 September 2014
  26. ^ Prix Marulić 2007 | last visited: 25 May 2012
  27. ^ Tim Jackson Archived 11 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine on SLRG | www.sustainablelifestyles.ac.uk
  28. ^ Jackson, Tim (26 February 2020). "Wellbeing Matters—Tackling growth dependency. A Policy Briefing". All-Party Parliamentary Group on Limits to Growth. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  29. ^ Jackson, Tim (July 2020). "The Transition to a Sustainable Prosperity—A Stock-Flow-Consistent Ecological Macroeconomic Model for Canada". Ecological Economics. 177: 106787. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106787. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  30. ^ Jackson, Tim (13 May 2018). "The Post-Growth Challenge—Secular Stagnation, Inequality and the Limits to Growth". Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  31. ^ Jackson, Tim (April 2018). "Confronting inequality in a post-growth world – basic income, factor substitution and the future of work". Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  32. ^ Does slow growth increase inequality? Some reflections on Piketty’s ‘fundamental’ laws of capitalism Archived 10 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, PASSAGE Working Paper 14-01, Guildford: University of Surrey, August 2014
  33. ^ Green economy at a community scale Archived 26 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, Metcalf Foundation: Toronto, November 2013
  34. ^ Developing an Ecological Macroeconomics Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, Centre for International Governance Innovation, cigionline.org, 11 September 2013
  35. ^ Angst essen Seele auf – Escaping the 'iron cage' of consumerism Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson, Wuppertal Spezial (Vol 48), Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy
  36. ^ New economic model needed not relentless consumer demandArchived 27 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson for The Guardian Blog, 17 January 2013
  37. ^ The Cinderella economy: an answer to unsustainable growth? Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson for The Ecologist, 27 July 2012
  38. ^ Let's be less productive Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson for The New York Times, 26 May 2012
  39. ^ Dismount and die? The paradox of sustainable living Archived 10 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Tim Jackson for The Guardian, 29 June 2011
  40. ^ The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable Consumption Archived 1 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine, London, New York: Earthscan/Routledge, 2006
  41. ^ Elgot, Jessica (24 April 2015). "Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  42. ^ "Commissioners · About us · Sustainable Development Commission". www.sd-commission.org.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  43. ^ "UK government axes its sustainability watchdog". BBC News. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
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