From June 18-21, many members of the ToBe consortium attended the Conferencia Internacional ESEE-Decrecemento 2024 Pontevedra, allowing us to discuss sustaineble futures beyond growth with like-minded researchers and activists in the field. Our researchers participated in the Conference to different degrees.

Firstly, Tuuli Hirvilammi and Milena Büchs hosted an interactive session exploring the promise of wellbeing economies in the post-growth context. Multiple presenations were imparted during this session, dicussing the different discourses on the wellbeing economy in international policy, the drivers and barriers for transformation towards wellbeing economies or the opportunities and challenges that a post-growth wellbeing economy would pose. This was followed by a lively discussion on the extent to which the wellbeing economy can be considered a post-growth idea and who the main allies or supporters of a post-growth aligned wellbeing economy approach are.

Moreover, Dan O’Neill and Riina Bhatia chaired panel sessions. O’Neill led a dicussion on “Imagining Post-Growth, Science, Technology, and Innovation STI Futures”, delving on post-growth and artificial intelligence. Bhatia, herself, lead a discussion on “Challenging Dominant Values, Ideologies and Imaginaries”, hosting a presentation by Javier Cuestas Caza on convivial technologies in the context of decolonial thought.
Finally, in other sessions, ToBe consortium members presented findings on topics such as:

  • Examining public support for eco-social policy and redistribution (Daniel W. O’Neill and Milena Buchs)
  • Toward universal basic services? Insights from alternative economic approaches in local and national initiatives (Alessia Greselin from Tampere University, Milena Buchs, and Laura Angresius)
  • Drivers and barriers to transformational policymaking: Empirical findings from government-led alternative economic initiatives across Europe (Laura Angresius, Milena Buchs, Alessia Greselin, and Daniel W. O’Neill)
  • Rethinking Transformative Innovation Policy in the Context of Post-Growth (Riina Bhatia and Tuuli Hirvilammi)

Overall, the conference underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative thinking to drive sustainable development and equitable economic transformation. Our partners present at the event valued the variety of presentations given by researchers from universities all over Europe and beyond. We considered the panels to be very interesting and engaging, inspiring exchanges between academia and activist organisations, albeit we consider further collaboration would be needed in future similar conferences. All in all, it was an ideal setting to reconnect with old friends and peers, to take in the amazingly green views and to enjoy the delicious food.

We are grateful for the opportunity to attend and present the research conducted in the framework of our project, as well as for being able to connect and learn from link-minded practitioners and academics. We hope to continue to create spaces where we can have these vital conversations and work towards a sustainable future, where wellbeing is placed at the center!