Português
This project was developed within a PhD scholarship with the funding reference 2020.06187.BD.
We are living at a crucial moment in modern civilization. The energy abundance we have experienced since the industrial revolution has enabled the socio-economic models that define modern Western society but has also created the immense ecological problems we now face. It is important to address two major gaps in the literature surrounding this issue: questioning the viability of a system where the dependence on exponential economic growth is as deep-rooted and inescapable as the impossibility of such growth continuing indefinitely; and asking what we can do, as communities, in response. This is what this thesis aims to answer, both in theory and in practice. It begins with a macro analysis of the Earth system (social and biophysical), then "funnels" down to the studied territory, which is local and tangible. It uses action-research methodologies, analyses political narratives, and practically experiments with new democratic and socio-economic models for collective territorial management and citizen empowerment. To this end, it focuses on a citizen platform for deliberative democracy that dared to participate in local elections, proposing and debating a new model of local democracy. The result of this thesis is pessimistic in its critique but optimistic in its action: no, exponential economic growth is not compatible with the planet's biophysical limits; and yes, we will soon feel the systemic shocks of the tectonic collision between these two inescapable realities (one biophysical, the other social). While there may not be much that can be done to change the overarching geostrategic directions of modernity on a global, concerted, and timely basis, there is much that can be done as communities or regions to face these disruptions to normality that are approaching: community management, grassroots empowerment strategies, and the creation of new models of community and territorial production and administration adapted to a world in transition.
Keywords: Adaptation: Resilience; Degrowth; Transition; Local democracy; Action research.
| Research Centre | Research Group | Role in Project | Begin Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEI-Iscte | Sustainable Societies | Partner | 2020-10-01 | -- |
No records found.
| Name | Affiliation | Role in Project | Begin Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilherme Serôdio | -- | PhD Scholar | 2020-10-01 | -- |
No records found.
No records found.
No records found.
No records found.
No records found.
No records found.
