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Degrowth through income and wealth caps?

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  • Buch-Hansen, Hubert
  • Koch, Max
Abstract
In the degrowth literature, maximum caps on wealth and/or income are frequently mentioned among the policy instruments that could support transitions towards ecologically and socially sustainable societies. Yet an in-depth discussion of concrete policy proposals has yet to be initiated. To facilitate such a discussion, the present paper reviews several proposals for placing caps on wealth and/or income. Some of these proposals consider environmental limits, others focus exclusively on social inequality. The paper moreover raises various critical issues concerning the introduction of maximum caps on wealth and income in a degrowth context, discussing the role of the state, the impact on economic growth and the risk of emigration of high-skilled employees and capital flight. We conclude that while, in an ecologically constrained world, there is an argument for imposing limits on wealth and income above a certain level, it is crucial not to dictate such policies as mere top-down measures but to develop and deliberate them in democratic forums.

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  • Buch-Hansen, Hubert & Koch, Max, 2019. "Degrowth through income and wealth caps?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 264-271.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:160:y:2019:i:c:p:264-271
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.03.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Katharina Bohnenberger, 2022. "Greening work: labor market policies for the environment," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 347-368, May.
    3. Stratford, Beth, 2020. "The Threat of Rent Extraction in a Resource-constrained Future," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    4. Kapeller, Jakob & Leitch, Stuart & Wildauer, Rafael, 2023. "Can a European wealth tax close the green investment gap?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    5. Julien Vastenaekels, 2024. "Degrowth and capitalist power: A step towards a theory of change," Post-Print hal-04584989, HAL.
    6. Kommandeur, Querine & Alenda-Demoutiez, Juliette & Kaufmann, Maria & Visseren-Hamakers, Ingrid, 2025. "Varieties of Anticapitalism: A systematic study of transformation strategies in alternative economic discourses," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    7. Bohnenberger, Katharina, 2022. "Is it a green or brown job? A Taxonomy of Sustainable Employment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    8. Oliver Kovacs, 2025. "The interdisciplinarity of degrowth: cross-fertilising disciplines for well-being," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 72(2), pages 1-38, December.
    9. Lainé, Michael, 2023. "How to reconcile actual climate change mitigation with prosperity? A proposal," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    10. Buch-Hansen, Hubert & Nesterova, Iana, 2023. "Less and more: Conceptualising degrowth transformations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    11. Andreas Novy & Nathan Barlow & Julia Fankhauser, 2022. "Transformative Innovation," SRE-Disc sre-disc-2022_01, Institute for Multilevel Governance and Development, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    12. Jana Brandl & Irina Zielinska, 2020. "Reviewing the Smart City Vienna Framework Strategy’s Potential as an Eco-Social Policy in the Context of Quality of Work and Socio-Ecological Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, January.
    13. Kulmer, Viviane, 2025. "Einkommensungleichheit im Kontext von Degrowth: Gegenüberstellung von Umverteilungsinstrumenten und Anwendung auf nationaler Ebene," ZÖSS-Discussion Papers 114, University of Hamburg, Centre for Economic and Sociological Studies (CESS/ZÖSS).
    14. François, Martin & Mertens de Wilmars, Sybille & Maréchal, Kevin, 2023. "Unlocking the potential of income and wealth caps in post-growth transformation: A framework for improving policy design," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    15. Vogel, Jefim & Guerin, Gauthier & O'Neill, Daniel W. & Steinberger, Julia K., 2024. "Safeguarding livelihoods against reductions in economic output," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    16. Katharina Bohnenberger, 2020. "Money, Vouchers, Public Infrastructures? A Framework for Sustainable Welfare Benefits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-30, January.
    17. Koch, Max, 2022. "State-civil society relations in Gramsci, Poulantzas and Bourdieu: Strategic implications for the degrowth movement," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    18. Julien Vastenaekels, 2023. "Degrowth and Capital: Assembling a Power-Centred Theory of Change," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/362596, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    19. Smith, Tone, 2025. "A short introduction to ecological economics," MPRA Paper 123544, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Mastini, Riccardo & Kallis, Giorgos & Hickel, Jason, 2021. "A Green New Deal without growth?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    21. Buch-Hansen, Hubert & Nesterova, Iana, 2021. "Towards a science of deep transformations: Initiating a dialogue between degrowth and critical realism," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    22. Polewsky, Max & Hankammer, Stephan & Kleer, Robin & Antons, David, 2024. "Degrowth vs. Green Growth. A computational review and interdisciplinary research agenda," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    23. Michael Lainé, 2023. "How to reconcile actual climate change mitigation with prosperity? A proposal," Post-Print hal-04265121, HAL.

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