Post-Capitalist Compatibility: Degrowth, Indigenous Wisdom, and Prout
As the climate crisis intensifies and global inequality deepens, thinkers and activists are increasingly calling for alternatives to replace capitalism. Three perspectives offering compelling visions for a post-capitalist world are the Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout), Jason Hickel's degrowth eco-socialism, and Nick Estes' Indigenous resistance framework. While coming from different traditions, these approaches share striking similarities in their critiques of capitalism while proposing a more just and sustainable future.
Prout: A Vision for Economic Democracy and Spiritual Values
Developed by Indian philosopher P.R. Sarkar, The Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout) offers a comprehensive model for a post-capitalist society rooted in spiritual values. Key elements of Prout include:
Economic democracy through localization and cooperatives
Guaranteeing basic necessities for all through full employment
Balancing individual and collective interests
Limits on wealth accumulation
Sustainable resource management
Progress is defined as fostering cultural and spiritual values
Prout envisions a cooperative economic system that transcends both capitalism and communism. Its goal is to provide meaningful work, meet everyone's basic needs, and foster both material and spiritual development.
Prout proposes to reorganize the economy into three structures—local, regional or national control of key industries such as infrastructure for roads and energy and certain aspects of healthcare and education, corporations converted into worker-owned coops, while private enterprises will be kept small-scale to serve local needs.
This elegant reorganization of the economy offers a postcapitalist vision beyond the extreme wealth accumulation and environmental destruction under corporate capitalism and the economic ineffectiveness and rigidity of collectivist state control as exists under communism.
Degrowth: Reimagining Prosperity Without Growth
Economic anthropologist Jason Hickel is a leading proponent of degrowth–intentionally scaling down resource and energy use in wealthy nations while at the same time improving human wellbeing. Hickel contends that his degrowth policies can lift the world out of poverty while staying within planetary boundaries. Several key degrowth policies align closely with Prout's vision:
Shortening the work week
Providing universal basic services
Redistributing income and wealth
Limiting energy demands of elites and corporations
Like Prout, degrowth seeks to create an economy focused on human flourishing rather than endless GDP growth. Hickel argues this approach can unite both the environmental and labor movement in creating sweeping global change.
Indigenous Resistance: Defending Land and Life
Indigenous scholar and activist Nick Estes situates environmental struggles within a long history of resistance to colonialism and capitalism. He emphasizes Indigenous values and practices as alternatives to capitalist exploitation of nature and people.
Estes highlights concepts like Mni Wiconi ("water is life") that reflect a fundamentally different relationship to land and resources than capitalism allows. This resonates with Prout's spiritual foundation and degrowth's critique of “extractivism”.
Converging Visions for a Post-Capitalist World
While coming from different traditions and having different priorities, Prout, degrowth, and Indigenous resistance frameworks share key themes in their visions for transcending capitalism:
Prioritizing human and ecological well-being over profit and growth
Decentralizing economic power and fostering local self-reliance
Guaranteeing basic needs and services for all
Limiting wealth concentration and inequality
Reimagining work, leisure, and the meaning of prosperity
Cultivating spiritual and ethical values beyond materialism
Harmonizing human activity with ecological limits
All three approaches see capitalism as fundamentally unsustainable and call for systemic change. They reject the notion that markets and technology alone can solve our economic, ecological, and social crises.
Building Bridges Between Traditions
A unique synthesis could bring these different anti-capitalist analyses together:
Like degrowth, Prout provides concrete economic policies and structures for a post-capitalist society.
Like Indigenous frameworks, Prout is grounded in spiritual values and an interconnected worldview.
Prout's cooperative model could help actualize the kind of democratic, community-controlled economies both degrowth and Indigenous activists envision.
Additionally, Prout's concept of "cosmic inheritance" - that the earth's resources belong to all - aligns closely with Indigenous views and degrowth's critique of extractivism. Its emphasis on economic democracy resonates with calls for local control and self-determination.
A Path Forward: Unity in Diversity
Realizing these post-capitalist visions will require bridging divides between different groups and movements. As Estes writes, "we are challenged not just to imagine, but to demand the emancipation of earth from capital. For the earth to live, capitalism must die."
This provocative statement encapsulates the shared conviction that incremental reforms are insufficient. We need a fundamental reimagining of our economic system and its relationship to nature. By combining Prout's cooperative model, degrowth economics, and Indigenous wisdom, we may yet forge a path to a more just, sustainable, and fulfilling post-capitalist world.
The task ahead is immense, but these converging visions offer hope and direction for the vital work of building a life-affirming alternative to capitalism's inhumane and nature-destroying logic. As climate chaos accelerates, the need for deep, radical transformation has never been more urgent.
Roar Bjonnes is the co-founder of Systems Change Alliance and the author of Growing a New Economy.
Resources:
For more on Jason Hickel and degrowth:
jasonhickel.org
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04412-x
For more on Nick Estes and indigenous activism:
https://rights.culturalsurvival.org/
For more on the Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout):
prout.info
 | A guest post by
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Roar, thank you for such a complete and yet concise explanation of Economic Democracy and Prout.
I have cross referenced it in my morning posting to Robert Reich’s substack. I will copy my posting below:
Marc Nevas
Marc’s Substack
13 mins ago
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edited 1 min ago
As I have said before on this Substack I am not looking just to re-empower the Democrats and attempt to put “guardrails on capitalism.” It is not a true and lasting solution. We will be dealing with a post “wrecking ball” destroyed economic, political and justice systems so we do not just rebuild what was so easily destroyed in the past, we build something new, more fair and more durable. We build an entirely new system.
I think on the situation of New Orleans after the devastating hurricane. Here was an opportunity to build a new New Orleans a bit north and well protected from the inevitable future destruction due to Climate Change and rising sea levels. But no, billions were spent to rebuild a city in the same vulnerable place sure to be destroyed again sometime in the future. Here is an example of lack of vision and fear of “thinking outside the box.”
Personally I see a future in a system most commonly known as “Economic Democracy” that exists to insure that economic prosperity is shared by all and the local economies are empowered to make their own decisions and not be at the mercy of ultra wealthy outside corporations like Walmart. My town, like many others, has had local businesses destroyed by the existence of a new Super Walmart. and all the profits that used to circulate in the local economy are now in the pockets of wealthy stockholders who could care less about the welfare of my town and its citizens. Is this the system we want to fix?
For an in-depth exploration of equitable systems of economic and political functioniing check out the following “Crisis and Transition A Common Way Forward" Substack: https://crisistransition.substack.com/p/post-capitalist-compatibility-degrowth
Your thoughtful exploration of the intersecting visions of Prout, degrowth, and Indigenous resistance is both timely and inspiring. These frameworks, though distinct in their origins and emphases, converge on the critical understanding that capitalism, in its current form, cannot sustain the planet or its people. The systemic inequities and environmental degradation it perpetuates demand bold alternatives, and the perspectives you’ve outlined offer compelling paths forward.
The shared principles—prioritizing ecological health, decentralizing power, guaranteeing basic needs, and fostering spiritual and ethical values—highlight the potential for a unified movement. By weaving together these diverse strands, we can craft a vision that is not only inclusive but also deeply rooted in justice and sustainability.
Your call to action is a reminder of the urgency of this work. Climate chaos and global inequality demand transformative solutions, not incremental adjustments. By drawing from these rich traditions, we have the opportunity to co-create a system that values life over profit, community over competition, and harmony over exploitation.
Thank you for presenting these powerful ideas and for inspiring collective reflection on how we might bridge divides to build a future that honors both people and the planet. The work ahead is indeed immense, but the convergence of these visions gives us hope that such a future is not only necessary but possible.