Less is More

A powerfully disruptive book for disrupted times. Jason Hickel takes all we’ve been been told about growth and development and turns it inside out, offering instead a radically possible vision of a post-growth future. If you’re looking for transformative ideas, this book is for you. – Kate Raworth, economist and author of Doughnut EconomicsA masterpiece pulling together the ecological disaster wake-up call from The Uninhabitable Earth, the economic enlightenment from Piketty’s Capital, and the colonial history from Jason’s own The Divide. Just ace. – David Heinemeier HanssonEye-opening and passionate, Jason Hickel shows how the insatiable drive to increase GDP has caused the ecological crisis, reveals the historical and colonial roots of capitalism and argues that an ecologically sensitive economic based on ‘degrowth’ is essential for us to flourish. * New Scientist *A masterpiece… Less is More covers centuries and continents, spans academic disciplines, and connects contemporary and ancient events in a way which cannot be put down until it’s finished. So much needs to change; although beginning that change might require nothing more than asking the right question. – Danny Dorling, Professor of Geography, University of OxfordThis is a book we have all been waiting for. Jason Hickel dispels ecomodernist fantasies of ‘green growth’. Only degrowth can avoid climate breakdown. The facts are indisputable and they are in this book. – Giorgos Kallis, Professor of Ecological Economics and author of DegrowthJason Hickel shows that recovering the commons and decolonizing nature, cultures, and humanity are necessary conditions for hope of a common future in our common home. By extracting less we leave more for other species, other people and future generations, thus creating well-being for all. In an ecologically interconnected world, less is more. – Vandana Shiva, philosopher of physics and author of Making Peace with the EarthJason Hickel takes us on a profound journey through the last 500 years of capitalism and into the current crisis of ecological collapse. He lays out how we can transition to a post-capitalist economy, but also reminds us that there are other ways of knowing and being that hold the secret to a better world. Less is More is required reading for anyone interested in what it means to live in the Anthropocene, and what we can do about it. – Alnoor Ladha, co-founder of The RulesThis riveting offering explores a world that has finally woken up to the reality of climate change and ecological collapse. Arguing that a change of thinking is desperately needed, he charts a path to a post-capitalist world and an economy that is more just, caring and fun. * The Sunday Post *A restorative and invigorating read for troubled times, Hickel inspires hope that there is in fact a different way to approach life and society. The global pandemic has made us realise we don’t need to go back to the way it was, and this book offers up a vision of the future that we should aspire to. A must read for anyone sick of the egregious ills of the present day. * Wicked Leeks *Hickel’s book is accessible and engagingly well written, with a good mix of anecdote, facts and argument * Steady State Manchester *

Jason Hickel is an economic anthropologist, Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is originally from Eswatini (Swaziland) and spent a number of years with migrant workers in South Africa, writing about exploitation and political resistance in the wake of apartheid. He has authored three books, including most recently The Divide- A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions. He writes regularly for the Guardian, Al Jazeera and Foreign Policy, serves as an advisor for the Green New Deal for Europe and sits on the Lancet Commission for Reparations and Redistributive Justice. He lives in London.