Rethinking the Political Economy of Degrowth in a Postdevelopment Pluriverse

In this article, we explore how degrowth can learn from, and form symbiotic relationships with, other postdevelopment options. To achieve this, we put degrowth in conversation with Māori and Jain thought to show its limitations and ways to address them. Additionally, we reconceptualize “dépense,” a degrowth concept that refers to unproductive expenditure intended to prevent economic surplus being reinvested for growth, as a set of reparations to address global injustices and support the pluriverse. This paper is part of the SPE special theme “Pluriversal Political Economy.”