This is the first annual report of the project. The project has made significant progress in synthesizing the existing post-growth literature. Three reviews were published related to metrics, policies and models which were aimed at providing input to the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework (D1.4) which builds on these reviews, was completed at the end of February 2024. For each of the reviews and the theoretical framework, we adopted the WISE framework where we looked the three dimensions of progress: wellbeing, distribution of wellbeing (inclusion) and future wellbeing (sustainability). The theoretical framework is work-in-progress. At the end of the project, when we publish a book we will revisit the theoretical framework. It will be refined based on the insights that we have gained in all the other parts of the project and the various co-creation labs and collaborations with the “Sister” projects (the other Beyond-Growth projects funded by the Horizon Europe funds).
The current scientific work has benefited from the co-creation activities such as the the Future Lab (September 2023, Brussels) and the Just Transition Lab (November 2023, Brussels). Noteworthy efforts were made in both labs to ensure diverse representation among stakeholders, taking into account factors such as country of origin, gender, and professional expertise. The Just Transition Lab, in particular, provided a platform for individuals adversely affected by transitions and organisations working with these constituencies, including but not limited to women, low-income individuals, and Indigenous peoples, to offer invaluable insights into some of the thematic models under development by the WISE Horizons team through co-creative activities.
Finally, two significant domains of the quantitative analysis have made progress (although nothing is finalised):
- Work has started on the Global Report which will provide a historical analysis, based on global data for at least 130-150 countries and deepdives for Europe, Africa, China and the US. For this and other purposes, the WISE database has been developed, which provides a repository of the most important Beyond-GDP indexes and indicators. These data are usually spread all over the world, but this database makes it easier for our consortium but others as well, to do research in this domain. For the moment, the data is available through
https://beyond-gdp.world/wise-database/wise-database(öffnet in neuem Fenster) - Work on many of the nine thematic (partial) models has started. These models will start to be made public in 2025 onwards.