Tim Jackson (economist)

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Tim Jackson (2005) at the University of Surrey

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Tim Jackson at the Deakin Lectures 2010

Tim Jackson FAcSS (born 1957) is a British ecological economist and professor of sustainable development at the University of Surrey. He was the founder and director of RESOLVE (Research Group on Lifestyles Values and Environment) and is director of the follow-on project: the Defra/ESRC Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group (SLRG). Tim Jackson is the author of Prosperity Without Growth: economics for a finite planet (2009) and currently holds the ESRC Professorial Fellowship on Prosperity and Sustainability in the Green Economy.

Work

Academic work

For more than twenty years, he has worked internationally on sustainable consumption and production. 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. For the last decade his research has focused on consumption, lifestyle and sustainability. In 2005, the Sustainable Development Research Network published his widely cited review Motivating Sustainable Consumption. A respective Earthscan 'Reader' in Sustainable Consumption was issued in 2006. During 2006 and 2007 Tim Jackson was advisor and a regular contributor to BBC Newsnight's Ethical Man series.

In his function as Economics Commissioner on the Sustainable Development Commission he authored a controversial report, later published by Earthscan/Routledge as Prosperity Without Growth: economics for a finite planet (2009). By arguing that "prosperity – in any meaningful sense of the word – transcends material concerns", 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. "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."

The book was described by Le Monde as "one of the most outstanding pieces of environmental economics literature in recent years." 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." Prosperity without Growth has been translated into 15 languages including Swedish, German, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Chinese.

Tim Jackson's current projects include – in collaboration with Professor Peter Victor (York University, Toronto) – the development of the Green Economy Macro-Model and Accounts (GEMMA).

Playwright

In addition to his academic and advisory work, Jackson is an award-winning playwright with numerous BBC radio writing credits to his name. 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 and was longlisted for the 2008 Sony awards.

Publications

• 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
• Green economy at community scale | Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, Metcalf Foundation: Toronto | November 2013
• Developing an Ecological Macroeconomics | Tim Jackson and Peter Victor, Centre for International Governance Innovation | cigionline.org, 11 September 2013
• Angst essen Seele auf – Escaping the 'iron cage' of consumerism | Tim Jackson, Wuppertal Spezial (Vol 48), Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy
• 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
• The Cinderella economy: an answer to unsustainable growth? | Tim Jackson for The Ecologist | 27 July 2012
• Let's be less productive | Tim Jackson for The New York Times | 26 May 2012
• Dismount and die? The paradox of sustainable living | Tim Jackson for The Guardian | 29 June 2011
• Consumerism as Theodicy – an exploration of religions and secular meaning functions (with M. Pepper). In Thomas, L (ed): Consuming Paradise. Oxford: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010.
• Prosperity Without Growth – Economics for a Finite Planet. London and New York: Earthscan/Routledge, 2009.
• The Earthscan Reader on Sustainable Consumption. London and New York: Earthscan/Routledge, 2006
• Material concerns: pollution, profit, and quality of life. SEI, Stockholm Environment Institute; London, New York: Routledge, 1996.

Politics

Prior to the 2015 UK general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas.

External links

• Tim Jackson's Official Website
• List and audio of his plays
• Tim Jackson's Economic Reality Check on TED
• Tim Jackson's Deakin Lecture | Melbourne, June 2010
• Tim Jackson at The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Forum Seminar | St James's Palace, December 2009
• Rio+20: Tim Jackson on how fear led world leaders to betray green economy | Jo Confino for The Guardian | 25 June 2012
• Could less choice be better for the consumer? | Tim Jackson in Conversation with Matthew Taylor (RSA) and Nigel Salter | August 2011
• As the dream of economic growth dies, a new plan awaits testing | George Monbiot for The Guardian | 22 August 2011
• Sustainability depends on breaking free of our consumerist fixation | Tim Jackson Interview with The Guardian | 2 December 2010
• Politics Without Creativity Is Not Political | Tim Jackson Interview with The European
• Prosperity without Growth? – The transition to a sustainable economy | Report for the SDC March 2009