Digitalization and sustainability
Does digitalization make our economy more sustainable by increasing energy and resource efficiencies? Or is it the other way around - more digital devices consume more energy and additionally lead to rebound effects and economic growth? We also need to ask, how social inequalities are effected and whether we face new challenges regarding concentration of economic and political power. In light of such analyses, I develop concepts how digitalization can be used for a social-ecological transformation - for example in form of a digital-environmental tax reform or digital sufficiency. My work takes place in collaboration with a group of interdisciplinary scientists in the research group "Digitalization and social-ecological transformation": www.sustainable-digitalization.org.
Economic growth and the environment
Does economic growth help to decrease environmental throughput or are there limits to economic growth? This question has been on my mind since my early years as a student. In my dissertation I have focussed on the macroeconomic conditions for sustainable economies without growth. In my current project "Recap", I am part of a research group that investigates macroeconomic rebound effects using macroeconomic approaches such as quantitative methods and econometric modelling: www.recap.org.
Post-growth economics
Climate change has become a reality - incremental changes will not do to prevent catastropic changes. There is high demand for ideas that can facilitate the radical changes we need. Post-growth economics is the science of sustainable economies without growth. Such economies radically decrease environmental throughput, are socially just and foster democraticy in economic and political institutions. Recently, I have been working in particular on the concept of growth independence: www.ioew.de/frisch-im-ioew-fokus/postwachstum/ressourcenschonung-und-postwachstum/
Methods for sustainability economics
The transformation towards a sustainable economy is a complex development and affects various economic, social and cultural facetts. Therefore, sustainability economics has to apply a broad set of theoretical and methodogical approaches. A plural set of theories allows for comprehensive analyses. A methodological diversity facilitates to investigate both how the existing economy works, how a sustainable economy could be constituted and how a transition can take place. See for example my research in the group "Digitalization and social-ecological transformation": www.sustainable-digitalization.org.