Welcome to Tim Jackson’s website. This site is a source of news and information about Tim’s work both as ecological economist and as radio dramatist. It is updated regularly and offers links to his talks, publications and radio plays.
What can prosperity possibly mean in a world of environmental and social limits?—This question has guided Tim Jackson’s research for over thirty years. Rejecting the simplistic idea that more is always better, and that economic growth is an infallible route to the ‘good life’, Tim has always been fascinated by a much broader vision of a shared and lasting prosperity, in which people have the potential to flourish as human beings, without increasingly damaging the finite planet we share with other species, and on which we depend for a home. You can browse some of Tim’s academic work below.
Does economic growth harm the planet? | BBC Sunday Morning Live debate with Tim Jackson, Daze Aghaji and Andy Mayer
Tim Jackson joined BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live for a live debate on whether economic growth harms the planet, following renewed international discussion about moving beyond GDP as the main measure of progress.
La croissance vous rend malheureux… mais comment s’en passer? | Élucid Media Interview
In this interview with Olivier Berruyer for Élucid, Tim Jackson explores how capitalism has made growth and consumption central to our idea of happiness—while relying on permanent dissatisfaction to keep going. Leaving consumerism behind, he suggests, is not a step backwards, but an essential step towards a truly prosperous and sustainable society.
Prosperity as health: Why we need an economy of care for a liveable future | BMJ article
Climate breakdown should be understood as a profound abdication of care, argues Tim Jackson in an opinion piece commissioned for the British Medical Journal’s (BMJ’s) new year special issue on climate breakdown.
Cry of the Bittern | BBC radio drama series by Tim Jackson re-released as audiobook
This month sees the audiobook release of Tim Jackson’s environmental drama series Cry of the Bittern. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the series has been re-released by Penguin and is now available on all major audiobook platforms. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Norfolk fens, the full-cast mystery explores the tensions between ...
The Care Economy: Redefining Prosperity in a World Beyond Growth | ERC webinar
Tim Jackson speaking at the Economic Research Council about The Care Economy, exploring how valuing care as a social and economic foundation can reshape our understanding of prosperity, community, and sustainability in a world beyond growth.
Why care is the foundation of a thriving society
Kristina Mänd-Lakhiani speaks with Tim to explore why modern economics often overlooks care work, how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the essential foundations of society, and what a truly sustainable, care-centered economy might look like in practice, including the social, economic, and cultural shifts required to achieve it.
Life after Growth | Leven na de groei podcast
During a recent visit to the Netherlands, Tim Jackson joined Paul Schenderling for a conversation on post-growth economics, ecological limits, and the future of prosperity. The discussion explores ideas from Prosperity without Growth and The Care Economy, and examines how ecological-economic thinking can inform social and policy change.
Can there be prosperity without growth? | Keynote at Utrecht University, Sept 2025
Under capitalism, we have learned that more is always better: more innovation, more consumption, more wealth. But we can’t keep growing forever, we need to build a postgrowth society, where economic growth is no longer the leading principle.
Video: A World That Cares | How the Light Gets In Festival with Tim Jackson and Catherine Liu
The pursuit of productivity often sidelines the essential work of care—whether for children, the sick, or the elderly. Catherine Liu, Tim Jackson, and David Goodhart, chaired by Barry C Smith, explore how society might revalue care as central to human and economic life.
The Care Economy: Tim Jackson in Conversation with Kate Raworth
Join renowned economists Tim Jackson and Kate Raworth at The Conduit for a thought-provoking event asking: what if prosperity were measured in health, not wealth? Together, they explore how an economy built around care—rather than growth—could transform our societies, markets, and future.
We Need To Talk About… Cheap Food
Britain’s food is cheap, but farmers are squeezed and too many people can’t afford a healthy diet. In this podcast, Will Evans, Emily Norton and Tim Jackson explore the true cost of cheap food and how to create a fairer, healthier system.
Flow in the 21st Century: Exploring Modern Activities and Environments | Journal paper | Journal paper
This study investigates where people experience flow today, drawing on UK and international survey data. It examines both the activities and physical environments associated with flow, offering updated insights into how everyday spaces may support psychological wellbeing.
Creating a Care Economy | The Deep Dive podcast
In this episode of The Deep Dive, host Phillip McKenzie speaks with Tim Jackson about his latest book, The Care Economy. The conversation examines how the pandemic and recent global conflicts have underscored care’s critical importance, yet revealed its consistent neglect within current economic systems focused primarily on growth and profit.
Public debt and the post-growth challenge: the case for a flexible monetary and fiscal policy framework | Paper
This paper examines how slower growth in advanced economies may force a choice between fiscal tightening and rising debt. It shows that more flexible approaches to monetary and fiscal policies can better support debt stability and long-term economic, social and environmental goals.
Fit for whose future? The Mary Poppins moment is over
“Ask not what we can do for our health. Ask only what our healthcare can do for growth.” In this searing critique, Tim Jackson exposes how the UK Government’s new 10-year-plan for NHS England trades public health for private profit, betraying Bevan’s vision in the name of growth.
A world that might just work | Free Forum podcast
In a wide-ranging and deeply reflective conversation with Terrence McNally on Free Forum: A World That Just Might Work, Tim Jackson explores the themes of his latest book, The Care Economy. Against a backdrop of global instability and the rise of authoritarianism, Jackson argues that now, more than ever, is the time to advocate for an economy ...
Living in a Sick System | Fresh Ed podcast
In a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation with Will Brehm, Tim Jackson explores the personal and political dimensions of The Care Economy, his latest book. Sparked by a surprising diabetes diagnosis, Jackson shares how a personal health crisis led him to question not only his own lifestyle but the broader systems that shape our wellbeing. His journey ...
Degrowth and the Care Economy | Pullback Podcast
In this podcast, Tim explains the problems with our need for constant growth—how it is not only incompatible with a sustainable future but is also bad for our wellbeing. He also shares what a post growth society premised on a care economy could look like.
Fuck the Patriarchy | Keen On America podcast
As one of the most illustrious rock stars of the sustainability movement, Tim Jackson suggests that we must “fuck the patriarchy” to get beyond capitalism. In his new book, The Care Economy, Jackson argues that our growth-obsessed capitalist economic system is fundamentally dysfunctional, prioritizing wealth accumulation over health and wellbeing.
Is Prosperity Possible Without Growth? | Intelligence Squared podcast
In his latest book The Care Economy, Jackson issues the powerful warning: our fixation on growth has come at the cost of the most vital parts of our lives—care, health, and human connection. In a world that undervalues care work and prioritises profit over people, what would it take to build an economy centred on ...
Why we need to adopt a Care Economy | C40 Cities podcast
Capitalism is an illness: it’s killing our planet, and by extension, us. Economic instability and environmental concerns are symptoms that can only be cured by redefining prosperity in terms of health and wellbeing, so that we can create sustainable, equitable societies. Tim Jackson joins Cities 1.5 to discuss his new book The Care Economy, arguing ...
Why Care is Key to a Thriving Economy | Book discussion at the David Hume Institute, Edinburgh
Hosted in partnership by the David Hume Institute and EICC Live, this engaging Edinburgh event featured Tim Jackson in conversation with Dr Sarah Birrell Ivory. Together, they explored the central themes of Tim’s latest book, The Care Economy.
The Political Economy of Care | Economics for Rebels podcast
In this episode of the Economics for Rebels podcast, Tim Jackson speaks to Alexandra Köves about care as a philosophical principle and economic imperative—challenging the deep structures of a growth-driven patriarchal economy and its systemic neglect of wellbeing.
This is an act of care | Keynote by Tim Jackson at the #SCORAI 2025 conference
In his keynote for the SCORAI 2025 conference in Lund, Prof Tim Jackson presented insights from his new book The Care Economy, calling for a shift from growth-driven models to economies centred on health, care, and creativity. His keynote exposed the systemic harms of perpetual growth and argued that prioritising care is essential for a ...
Ökonomie der Fürsorge | Book discussion at Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin
To mark the launch of the German edition of The Care Economy, the Heinrich Böll Foundation hosted a special event in Berlin featuring Professor Tim Jackson in conversation with economist and historian Friederike Habermann. Together, they explored the book’s central themes, delving into its intellectual roots and discussing the urgent need to rethink our economic systems ...
The Care Economy | Book launch with Tim Jackson, Michael Dixon, Sam Everington and Zoe Williams
On 18 March, CUSP hosted a pre-release launch of The Care Economy at the London Review Bookshop. The evening featured a rich discussion with Professor Tim Jackson, Sir Michael Dixon, and Sir Sam Everington, moderated by Guardian journalist Zoe Williams, offering a thoughtful exploration of the book’s central themes.
Bringing wellbeing back into our politics | Another Europe is Possible podcast
In an age of war and permanent crisis, is it all too easy to forget the fundamentals? How do we look after each other, care for one another and create economies that prioritise our human development? In this podcast, Seema Syeda and Zoe Williams welcome back Tim Jackson to talk about his new book, The Care ...
Calling for growth is not the same as delivering it | The New Statesman
No political mantra, no tech-bro fantasy, no alluring macroeconomic ideology has stemmed the persistent decline of economic growth. Let alone reversed it. To all intents and purposes, Tim Jackson writes, we are already living in a postgrowth world.
Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries | Journal Paper
A comprehensive new review by leading experts in the sustainability science field is challenging the long-held assumption that economic growth is necessary for societal progress. Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, this paper explores the rapidly advancing field of postgrowth research and presents a compelling case for prosperity without growth.
Macroeconomic, sectoral and financial dynamics in energy transitions: A stock-flow consistent, input-output approach.
This paper develops a stock-flow consistent, input-output model to simulate risks, opportunities, and non-linear dynamics associated with green investment, energy returns, financial risks, and various energy transition pathways to net zero.
The False Economy of Big Food. And the case for a new food economy | Report
New analysis commissioned by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) has found that the costs of Britain’s unhealthy food system amount to £268 billion every year – almost equivalent to the total annual UK healthcare spend. The report by Professor Tim Jackson provides the first comprehensive estimate of the food-related cost of chronic disease, ...
Growth and the planet | Reuters Podcast
Climate change is raising questions about a central tenet of economics: growth. Host Carmel Crimmins is joined by economist Tim Jackson to talk about consumerism and the environment and what “post growth” might look like. Plus, we hear from the person who compiles Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness index.
The British Economist Who Became a Celebrity With an Anti-Growth Pitch | Article by Nick Romeo for The New Republic
A profile of Tim Jackson, exploring his recent work and the challenges he’s tackling in the postgrowth field, written by Nick Romeo for the US magazine The New Republic. The piece is based on in-depth conversations and time Romeo spent accompanying Tim.
WHO non-communicable diseases Global Monitoring Framework: Pandemic resilience in sub-Saharan Africa and Low-income Countries | Journal Paper
This study provides an empirical assessment of how effective the WHO’s Global Monitoring Framework for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been in improving COVID-19 resilience in low-income countries. Our findings suggest that future global health policies should focus on the link between NCDs and infectious diseases, especially for vulnerable populations.