Niko Paech

Niko Paech ( born December 9, 1960 in Schüttorf ) is a German economist and since 2010 Visiting Professor at the Department of Production and the Environment ( " PUM " ) at the University of Oldenburg. His research interests are among others in the field of environmental economics, ecological economics and sustainability research.

Life

Paech 1987 received a diploma in economics at the University of Osnabrück and worked there - on his doctorate in 1993 out - until 1997 as a research assistant on.

After a short period as a management consultant in the field of organic food and as Agenda 21 officer of the city of Oldenburg Paech began his career at the University of Oldenburg.

He co-founded the scientific center CENTOS (Oldenburg Center for Sustainability Economics and Management) and is in collaboration with Gerhard Oesten Chairman of the Association for Ecological Economics ( VÖÖ ), member of Zenario ( Centre for Sustainable Spatial Development of Oldenburg ) and the network Kobe eV ( center of competence building and energy).

Paech is also a member of the scientific advisory board of Attac Germany, a founding member of the "Post Fossil Institute " (2011) and published articles in the German edition of the monthly Le Monde diplomatique.

In 2006 he was for his work on " Sustainable management beyond innovation orientation and growth - A business-related transformation theory " given the Kapp Research Award for Ecological Economics.

Post-growth economy

Paech referred to as post-growth economy an economic system that does not rely on economic growth to supply human needs, but is characterized by declining growth. It is bordered by the fact aware of terms of the sustainability debate as " green " or " sustainable " growth from, referred to the existence of green growth even as a miracle. He sees the need for such an economic order in the failure of the decoupling of environmental damage and resource consumption of the value, one not. Due to consumption or income -enhancing well-being based on the science of happiness and the economic limitations, such as the global oil production peak His approach is based on the five principles of institutional innovations, material zero-sum games, regional economics, subsistence and sufficiency, " which ultimately result in higher individual quality of life and general welfare. " There were no per se sustainable products and technologies, he says, but only sustainable lifestyles.

Paech stressed that the consumption of resources is ecologically harmful not only, but the people on demand and mentally. As a means to achieve greater satisfaction and less reliance on the global resource chain he calls: the reduction of working on a 20 -hour week, more time for self- cultivation of fruit and vegetables and for the repair and the parts of objects, a extensive dismantling of highways and airports as well as efficient, convertible and recyclable products. He believes that it is useful if a vanguard already maintains an appropriate lifestyle and well manage with less consumption so that they will contribute with their knowledge and experience and its model to reduce frustrations, fears and possible violence.

Publications

• 2005: Sustainable management beyond innovation orientation and growth. A business-related transformation theory. Metropolis -Verlag, Marburg. ISBN 978-3-89518-523-6
• 2012: From the green growth to post-growth economy. Why further economic growth is not a viable option is In: Woynowski, Boris et al. (Ed.): economy without growth? Need for, and approaches a growth reversal. ISSN 1431-8261 Free Download 20 MB Deliverance of abundance. On the way to the post-growth economy. oekom verlag, Munich. ISBN 978-3-86581-181-3