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1. A Critical Analysis of Degrowth Debates Through the Lens of Gross National Happiness (GNH): Refraining from the Conventional View of Plurality*

Author:
Katsu Masaki
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
This study problematises degrowth’s goal of abandoning economic growth as a policy objective on the grounds that its advocates base their arguments on a binary growth/no-growth dichotomy and unwittingly activate the same economistic frame as the growth paradigm. To explore a remedy against this pitfall arising from the conventional view of plurality that segregates study materials into distinctive categories and prioritises one of them, Bhutan’s policy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) is taken up. The policy does not lapse into the growth/degrowth trap, refrains from rejecting economic growth of all kinds, and instead ascertains its potentially diverse connotations. GNH accordingly weighs growth-related indicators on equal terms with various others concerning social, cultural, spiritual and emotional contentment. The holistic approach of GNH helps rectify the prevailing hegemony of economic growth and thus provides a more effective pathway for attaining a postgrowth order.
Topic:
Economy, Economic Growth, Degrowth, and Gross National Happiness (GNH)
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

2. Will France’s Africa Policy Hold Up?

Author:
Corentin Cohen
Publication Date:
06-2022
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Abstract:
During his first term, French President Emmanuel Macron sought to revitalize his country’s diplomatic outreach to countries throughout Africa. Some aspects of this pivot were designed to more directly address the legacy of French colonialism in Francophone countries. He also sensed that the growing stature of non-Western powers like China has given African counterparts greater latitude to pursue ties amid heightened diplomatic competition among a host of other countries both in Europe and elsewhere. In pursuing this strategy, Macron has sought to promote a vision of French diplomacy with Africa through greater foreign aid and more robust people-to-people ties grounded in a spirit of partnerships between equals. While Macron’s efforts have created an opening for renewed relationships, this pivot has not been as seamless as he had hoped. Bureaucratic inertia and stovepiping in French foreign policy circles have at times meant that implementation of these policies has lagged. In certain cases, Macron’s own nationalistic appeals during his recent reelection bid have appeared to undercut his attempts to make amends for France’s troubling colonial history. Meanwhile the French president’s attempts to deepen economic, people-to-people, and security ties in more equitable ways have fallen short of lofty expectations, with past practices proving harder than expected to jettison. For Macron’s ambitions for French relations with African countries to keep their momentum, the president and his team must take an earnest look at what has worked well and what can still be improved.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Agriculture, Diplomacy, Partnerships, Emmanuel Macron, and Degrowth
Political Geography:
Africa, Europe, and France