The Specter of Dictatorship: Judicial Enabling of Presidential Power

Abstract

of this future utopia. The path that would take us from here (capitalism) to there (degrowth) is in fact not entirely clear. Considering the immense scale of this challenge, this should not be considered a major shortcoming. Additionally, the same could be said for the majority of Degrowth publications that share an orientation to future planning. How are the strategies described supposed to be integrated, scaled up (or down), and adjusted to different contexts? What role do political institutions play into the transition to Degrowth? The book does not provide fully satisfying answers to these key questions. For example, very little is said about the role of the state in bringing about change. It is also striking that the authors almost brush over their contention that “it is not at all clear under which conditions and based on what balance of social forces elites would give up their privileges, which are built on uneven development and global injustice and backed up by military might” (291). Overall though, while some readers might object to the lack of thorough political analysis, the book’s aim is not to be exhaustive but rather to convince that degrowth is a possible and desirable future, and to invite others to develop their own like-minded solutions. In this respect, the authors’ effort should be praised—even more so if scholars from different disciplines take on the challenge to fill the gaps in this book with more detailed proposals.