Introduction. Global (Inter)dependencies and Degrowth: Towards an Analytical Framework

Abstract

So far, degrowth scholarship remains largely shaped by a form of methodological localism or nationalism that risks reproducing current asymmetric and colonial relations on the global scale. Against this background, our introduction to the forum argues that degrowth can only adequately be theorized through the lens of global (inter)dependencies: structurally reproduced relations of dependence and mutual entanglement that operate across national borders and generate growth imperatives, constrain policy space, and displace ecological and social costs across territories, social groups, and generations. We propose five heuristic dimensions – structural-economic, institutional-(geo-)political, socio-ecological, socio-reproductive, and epistemic-discursive – that together explain how growth dependencies are produced and stabilized at the world scale. Ultimately, global degrowth implies challenging and abolishing some (environmentally destructive and socially unjust) forms of (inter)dependence, while strengthening and reshaping others. This introductory article is followed by 11 contributions that investigate global (inter)dependencies from various perspectives.