About myself    
 
Work less and save the planet! A sustainable development – allowing my grandchildren and all other children to lead a decent life – depend, in my view, on some issues which have been in focus in my work. The slogan above must be argued in steps. Here is a brief summary with further links: 1. The working hour paradox. A general trend is that we become more efficient in producing goods and services. This is the major factor behind economic growth in the last hundred years. In the past, this was partly used to reduce working hours. J M Keynes had a vision that his grandchildren would be able to satisfy their needs with just a few hours of work per day. Karl Marx had similar vision of a society of more leisure after our needs had been satisfied. But Bertrand Russell mocks about our inability to benefit from the progress in this way (see ”In praise of Idleness” 1932). After we reached the 8 hour day in the West this development has halted. Instead we have increased consumption – and economic growth – beyond the means of the planet, creating the present ecologically unsustainable situation. The notion of economic growth is so strong that to suggest shorter working hours is considered a ”third rail issue” by most politicians – such suggestions may cause a political death just like it is deadly dangerous to touch the third rail in the subway! (I have written several reports on working hours including my doctoral dissertation about the history of the working hours issue over 100 year – see a summary here! 2. The Baumol dilemma of personal services. Economic growth is often argued as necessary in order to maintain the desired medical, social and educational services of the welfare state. But this is a false conclusion because these services do not follow the trend of higher productivity. For that reason growth will not help the situation; the costs of the services increase in (almost) the same rate as the economy grows. What is needed is to set aside a higher share of society’s resources for these services. But this often means higher taxes… 3. The rebound effect. Higher efficiency and technological progress often lead to goods and services with a reduced environmental impact: energy-efficient cars, better insulated houses etc. But by and large, we have used this to increase the volumes of consumption rather that profiting from the possible saving – the so called ”Jevons paradox” (from 1865). Environmental policy becomes like chasing your own tail. The non-shrinking work day is an extended example of this paradox. (here is an English summary of a report I have written on the rebound effect for the Swedish EPA) 4. The locked-in consumer. In principle, the consumer is the king who rules over society’s consumption. In practise consumers are more or less forced to a consumption pattern dictated outside his/her control. This applies to the availability of goods and services, to technical systems and the urban structure etc. Indirectly, the consumer is also limited by social and cultural norms and influenced by media and marketing activities. Sustainable consumption would require political action in all these fields. (this is elaborated in my paper in Ecological Economics 2002 and a later paper) My latest book (2007) covers all these issues and relate them to sustainable development; it is called “Keynes’ grandchildren” with reference to his vision (even if environmental issues were not on his mind in the 1930s) about of a society which has solved "the production problem" allowing us to enjoy our leisure rather than spoiling the earth by overproducing.. (here is the introductory chapter in English and a general overview of the book – also see box below)http://goto.glocalnet.net/christersanne/Working%20hours...%20Blanken.pdfhttp://goto.glocalnet.net/christersanne/Rebound_effect_summary.htmhttp://goto.glocalnet.net/christersanne/Willing.pdfhttp://goto.glocalnet.net/christersanne/ConsDiscontent.pdfhttp://goto.glocalnet.net/christersanne/KBB_chapter_1.htmhttp://goto.glocalnet.net/christersanne/KBB_in_one_page.htmhttp://livepage.apple.com/shapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5

I have been working with future studies in many fields: traffic and town planning, care and health systems and work and the use of time. I am now retired from a post as teacher/researcher at KTH (Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm) but keep up some work.

My latest book (2007, in Swedish) is called "Keynes' grandchildren" – see box at left. The first chapter is available for reading in English.

    At present I lecture countrywide on various aspects of sustainable development and write for Swedish dailies and journals.

     I participated in the conference ”Wachtstum im Wandel” (Growth in transition) in Wien/Vienna and a conference on ”degrowth” in Barcelona (see box below).


June 19, I chaired a session at the Steady State Economy Conference in Leeds, UK. My introductory text is here.


Here is a selection of my previous publications and academic texts.

Here is a more extensive list of publications (all languages)


Contact me:

christer.sanne@glocalnet.net

+46 8 30 47 38  +46 0739 22 17 33

Rörstrandsgatan 36, S-113 40 Stockholm, Sweden


              defunct!














In the 70-ties I worked as a nutrition planner in Tanzania. Recently I returned to Afrika, to Mali. Sadly realizing that too little development had taken place, compared to the swift changes in the rich West. This small iron sculpture is however proof that cultural richness is still possible in a materially poor country!