ALTERNATIVES TO UNLIMITED ECONOMIC GROWTH AND THE POST-DEVELOPMENT PROPOSITIONS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4215/rm2025.e24019

Keywords:

Pós-desenvolvimento, Decrescimento, Bem Viver, Sustentabilidade, Alternativas econômicas

Abstract

The carbon-intensive economic model faced significant questioning in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to the dissemination of the idea of sustainable development after the 1990s. However, this concept has also been subject to scrutiny in recent decades. In this context, Post-development has emerged from cultural movements with a set of distinct proposals and initiatives that aim to create alternatives to the model of unlimited economic growth. More recently, two post-developmentalist movements have gained greater visibility: Degrowth and Buen Vivir. This article aims to identify, map, and analyze transitional proposals and practices from post-developmentalist movements. To this end, an integrative review of 45
peer-reviewed academic articles was conducted, followed by a thematic analysis and synthesis of the findings. As a result, 415 proposals were identified and classified into 13 themes and 53 categories. Among the characteristics of the analyzed proposals, it is noted that some are compatible with sustainable development, while others are compatible with the carbon-intensive model. This variety of themes, categories, and proposals reflects the diversity and contradictions within post-development movements, which present multiple transformative initiatives in different territories. The mapping conducted enhances visibility and understanding of the interfaces between Post-development proposals, enabling
comprehension of pathways for creating and implementing pluriversal initiatives.

Keywords: Post-development; Degrowth; Good Living; Sustainability; Economic alternatives.

Author Biographies

  • Nayara Rodrigues Marques, University of Brasília (DF), Brazil

    Ph.D. student at the Center for Sustainable Development, University of Brasília (UnB), Brazil. Bachelor and master in Tourism by the Centre for Excellence in Tourism - UnB. Worked as a government employee at the Ministry of Tourism of Brazil from 2011 to 2022. Is a member of the Tourism and Sustainability Studies Laboratory – LETS/UnB.

  • Elimar Pinheiro do Nascimento, Universidade de Brasília

    PhD from the Université de Paris V (Rene Descartes, 1982) and postdoctoral degree at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. Professor of Postgraduate Programs at the Center for Sustainable Development of the University of Brasília (UnB) and the Environment and Sustainability Program in the Amazon Region of the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM). He is Associate Researcher at the Center for Sustainable Development (CDS/UnB). He was lecturer at the Universities of Maputo (Mozambique), Federal University of Paraíba, Federal University of Pernambuco and Catholic University of Ecuador. Consultant of Faculty of Psychology/University of the Republic, Uruguay. He researches and publishes, mainly, on the following themes: social and environmental conflicts, prospective and sustainability.

Downloads

Published

2025-07-28

Issue

Vol. 24 (2025)

Section

Artigos

License

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

\
    \
  1. Authors retain the copyright and grant MERCATOR the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows the sharing of the work with recognition of the authorship of the work and initial publication in this journal.
    2. \
  2. Authors are authorized to sign additional contracts separately, for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g., publish in an institutional repository or as a book chapter), with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
    3. \
  3. Authors are allowed and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal page) at any point before or during the editorial process, as this can generate productive changes as well as increase the impact and citation of the published work (see The Effect of Free Access).
    4. \
  4. Authors are responsible for the content of the manuscript published in the journal.
    5. \