Revised 29 May 2021




Settlement Attribute

Growth Settlement

Steady State Settlement


Economic Philosophy


Primary Concept

Scarcity

Scarcity


Attitude to Scarcity

Conflict

Acceptance


Purpose of Production

Consumption

Maintenance


Emphasis on Production

Productivity

Distribution


Timescale Horizon

Narrow

Wide


Incentive for Work

Income for consumption

Satisfaction


Typical Attitude to Work

Necessary imposition

Accepted part of life


Work and Leisure

Differentiated

Little difference


Place of Humankind in Ecosystem

Domination

Participatory


Population


Typical Annual Growth Rate

2.0%

Average 0 % 

(small fluctuations in population)


Doubling time

35 years

No doubling time


Age Composition Profile

Triangular

Cylindrical


Age Dependency Ratio

Proportion of dependents per 100 working-age people in the population. (Workers aged between 15 to 64)

Global peak of 77% in 1967 (high proportion of children under 15) and declined to 54% in 2014 as growth rate declined. 66% if constant 2.0% growth rate. Dependent on life expectancy.

≈ 72% (High proportion of people over 65). Dependent on life expectancy


Total Fertility

The average number of children in each family

Global peak of 5.10 in 1964 declining to 2.44 in 2016

Approx. 2.11 


Net Reproduction Rate

The ratio of women in one generation to the next

Global peak of 1.892 (1965-1970) declining to 1.099 (2015-2020). Dependent on death rate.

1.000


Time to Re-stabilise

70 years

Already stable


Family Structure

Nuclear family

Extended family


Urbanisation

High (80%)

Low (20-40 %?)


Capital Stock


Durability

Low

High


Maintenance Energy Cost

High

Low


Recycling

Limited

Optimised within inevitable dissipation and energy constraints


Creation of New Capital Stock

A large proportion of new capital stock is additional capital stock using additional materials. 

New capital stock is replacement capita stock. Materials of old capital stock are recycled within above constraints


Energy Production


Source

Energy stock

Energy flow


Limits of Production

Peaking (maximum rate of extraction) and inevitable EROI decline to 1.0 

Level of technology and availability of key scarce minerals


Permanence of Source

Non-renewable

Renewable over medium time scale, but ultimately long-term technological decline as minerals dissipate


Level of Pollution

High Pollution

Low Pollution


Pattern of Energy Flow

Increasing then decline

Slow decline


Consumption


Pattern per Capita

Increasing per capita

Constant per capita with minor fluctuations


Goods and Services Consumption

Unnecessary consumption

Necessary consumption


Tertiary Sector

Large tertiary sector

Small tertiary sector – self sufficiency


Distribution of Consumption

Unequal distribution

Equal distribution


Wastage

High wastage

Low wastage


Industrial Production


Pollution

Heavy pollution

Light or no pollution


Energy Consumption

High energy consumption

Low energy consumption


Technological Accidents

Frequent and serious

Infrequent and insignificant


Type of Processes

Complicated 

Comprehensible 


Impact on other Life Forms

Destruction of other life forms

Participatory dependence of on other life forms


Risk of Processes

Ecologically dangerous

Ecologically adapted


Food Production


Type of Agricultural System

Monoculture

Permaculture and diversification


Participation in Food Production

Industrialised production by large farm units

Production of food involves every family


Factors of Production

Energy and capital intensive

More labour intensive


Use of Fertilisers

Artificial fertilisers

Natural fertilisers 


Use of Animals

Animals used primarily as food source

Animals perhaps used again for mechanical energy value


Impact on Soil

Erosion and depletion

Replenishment


EROEI of Food

Low < 1.0

High > 10


Control of Pests

Dangerous pesticides used

Ecological techniques used