Jackson urges us to be less productive

Tim Jackson who has argued
that we should be less
productive.

Tim Jackson who wrote about growing less and yet still prospering. told readers of the Sunday Review in the New York Times about the need to be less productive.

In an opinion piece headed: “Let’s Be Less Productive”, Jackson wanted to know if the pursuit of labour productivity had reached its limit.

Jackson, who explored the concept earlier in his 2011 book “Prosperity Without Growth”, again encourage his reader to think about the urgency with which we appear to live; an urgency that appears to be rooted in growth.

In discussing the switch to a different economy, Jackson said:

“Of course, a transition to a low-productivity economy won’t happen by wishful thinking. It demands careful attention to incentive structures — lower taxes on labor and higher taxes on resource consumption and pollution, for example. It calls for more than just lip service to concepts of patient-centered care and student-centered learning. It requires the dismantling of perverse productivity targets and a serious investment in skills and training. In short, avoiding the scourge of unemployment may have less to do with chasing after growth and more to do with building an economy of care, craft and culture. And in doing so, restoring the value of decent work to its rightful place at the heart of society.”