Environmentally, the challenge of building sustainable economies has reached a critical juncture—major changes are needed within the coming decades in order avoid passing points of no return on climate change and other environmental issues. Sociopolitically, sustainable economies of the future may require several features without clear historical analogs, such as: (i) large-scale multicultural democracy amidst long-term economic stagnation (or perhaps even de-growth); (ii) fiscal stability amidst stagnant or declining populations and economies; and (iii) stable or declining economic inequality amidst long-term peace and international economic integration. Building and maintaining these features requires care, and challenges therein should not be taken for granted, nor completely overshadowed by the major environmental challenges of sustainability. Anticipating and overcoming challenges that may arise in non-analog political economies requires a pragmatic and positivist approach to studying the dynamics of social, political, and economic systems; just as predicting environmental challenges caused by climate change requires a positivist approach to studying Earth systems and the greenhouse effect. With this aim, I developed a senior-level undergraduate course at the University of Colorado Boulder, entitled “Envisioning Sustainable Economies”, piloted in Spring 2019 in the Environmental Studies Program.
Results/Conclusions
The course aims to have a tone that is positivist, nonpartisan, and compassionate—one I argue is sorely needed in the broader political discourse. In areas of active scholarly debate, it aims to present the strongest possible version of all sides, and encourages students to engage with each side critically. It is designed to have rigor and depth in key areas, but also to be accessible to students from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds. The course is divided into three sections, each of which also represents a research agenda. First, we examine the sustainable growth debate, juxtaposing key ideas from neoclassical growth theory and ecological economics with historical trends in: economic growth, various measures of human well-being, and environmental footprints of global and regional food, water, and energy systems. Second, we examine topics that may relate to sociopolitical challenges in sustainable economies, such as: market failures and intertemporal tradeoffs; the evolutionary and social science of cooperation; tribalism; and historical links between economic growth, democracy, social capital, peace, and environmental change. Third, we explore solutions, at both the micro and macro levels. The course concludes with group presentations on past success stories and cautionary tales of sustainable economics, in systems of the students’ choosing.