Research & Degrowth, (R&D) is an academic association dedicated to research, awareness-raising, and events organization around the topic of degrowth. R&D defines degrowth as a multi-level voluntary path towards reduction of production and consumption aiming at ecological sustainability, good life, liberty, and social justice. For R&D, degrowth is grounded in ecology, ecological economics, anthropology, psychology, and social sciences in general. In the degrowth process, R&D is concerned with democracy, international cooperation, and understanding as opposed to societal closure, fragmentation, and authoritarianism.
R&D strives to bring scientists, civil society, practitioners, and activists together to think, imagine, discuss, and create proposals for sustainable degrowth. R&D supports and aims to maintain a diversity of degrowth strategies for achieving social equity and ecological sustainability, including:
- grass-roots action and institutional interventions;
- academic and practical work;
- building of alternatives and opposition to environmentally and socially destructive projects and policies;
- local and international level work.
At present, R&D conducts the majority of its local activities in Spain and France, while organizing and co-organizing international events in various parts of Europe and beyond. R&D has presently about 30 active members based in Barcelona. It has created an informal network with members in more than 40 countries.
In 2014, Research & Degrowth (R&D) firstly presented Degrowth Summer School and since then, has brought together academics, students, practitioners, artists, activists and community organizers to collectively learn and debate about topics related to degrowth and environmental justice. The school is organized by Research & Degrowth (R&D) and customarily took place over two weeks in Barcelona and a rural part of Catalonia.
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