In today’s post by Tim Morgan he concludes that in our situation, intensifying competition for dwindling resources is likely to drive a disorderly rather than a structured and organised transition to a post-growth social realignment.

Not sure what a post-growth social realignment entails, I sought the advice of ChatGPT:

A post-growth social realignment refers to the broad and often fundamental changes in society that occur when an economy moves away from the goal of continuous economic growth and begins to prioritise well-being, sustainability, and resilience instead. This shift affects not only economic policy but also cultural values, social structures, and political power dynamics.

Key elements of a post-growth social realignment:

1. New values and priorities
   • Societies begin to value quality of life over quantity of goods.
   • Success is measured less by GDP and more by things like health, community strength, environmental integrity, and time affluence (free time).
2. Restructuring of work and livelihoods
   • Paid work may become less central; informal work, care work, and community activities grow in importance.
   • More people might work part-time or in subsistence, local, or cooperative economies.
3. Decentralisation and localisation
   • Power and resources may shift from national or corporate centres to local communities.
   • Local food, energy, and social networks become more important as globalised systems contract or prove unreliable.
4. Change in consumption patterns
   • Reduced emphasis on material consumption and status goods.
   • Simpler lifestyles, reuse, repair, and local exchange are favoured.
5. Social and political shifts
   • Governments and institutions may be forced to adapt by supporting more equitable resource distribution, local decision-making, and ecological limits.
   • New alliances form around common interests in health, fairness, environment, and security.
6. Redefinition of prosperity and progress
   • Prosperity is seen as the ability to live well within ecological limits.
   • Progress is measured by regeneration, not expansion.

In short, a post-growth social realignment describes how societies reorganise themselves socially, politically, and economically when the underlying assumption of infinite growth is abandoned. It is both a consequence of ecological and economic necessity and a conscious reimagining of what a good life and fair society look like.