Abstract: In the early industrialized countries the economic growth rates are declining. Various symptoms of instability are showing already. Furthermore, economic growth has reached social and ecological boundaries. This implies the need for a transformation of the present social structure. A stable post-growth society has to be either egalitarian or authoritarian. There is empirical evidence that the majority of the general public supports the idea of an egalitarian post-growth societ­y, where as the elites do not. Due to their significant influence on the political decision-making, any change of the social and economic order which fundamentally conflicts with their predominant values and interests is likely nonenforceable. A value change of the society could make the necessary transformation to an egalitarian post-growth society feasible. Evidence is presented that this can be accomplished through the implementation of a specific sequence of reforms, whereby each step contributes to the required value change and will ideally alleviates some symptoms of the existing instability.
Narrative step: Visions or strategies for transformation
Keywords: post-growth, transformation, value change