Summary of Attributes of Growth vs Steady State Settlements
Revised 29 May 2021
Settlement Attribute |
Growth Settlement |
Steady State Settlement |
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Economic Philosophy |
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Primary Concept |
Scarcity |
Scarcity |
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Attitude to Scarcity |
Conflict |
Acceptance |
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Purpose of Production |
Consumption |
Maintenance |
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Emphasis on Production |
Productivity |
Distribution |
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Timescale Horizon |
Narrow |
Wide |
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Incentive for Work |
Income for consumption |
Satisfaction |
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Typical Attitude to Work |
Necessary imposition |
Accepted part of life |
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Work and Leisure |
Differentiated |
Little difference |
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Place of Humankind in Ecosystem |
Domination |
Participatory |
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Population |
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Typical Annual Growth Rate |
2.0% |
Average 0 % (small fluctuations in population) |
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Doubling time |
35 years |
No doubling time |
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Age Composition Profile |
Triangular |
Cylindrical |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Time to Re-stabilise |
70 years |
Already stable |
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Family Structure |
Nuclear family |
Extended family |
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Urbanisation |
High (80%) |
Low (20-40 %?) |
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Capital Stock |
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Durability |
Low |
High |
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Maintenance Energy Cost |
High |
Low |
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Recycling |
Limited |
Optimised within inevitable dissipation and energy constraints |
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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 |
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Energy Production |
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Source |
Energy stock |
Energy flow |
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Limits of Production |
Peaking (maximum rate of extraction) and inevitable EROI decline to 1.0 |
Level of technology and availability of key scarce minerals |
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Permanence of Source |
Non-renewable |
Renewable over medium time scale, but ultimately long-term technological decline as minerals dissipate |
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Level of Pollution |
High Pollution |
Low Pollution |
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Pattern of Energy Flow |
Increasing then decline |
Slow decline |
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Consumption |
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Pattern per Capita |
Increasing per capita |
Constant per capita with minor fluctuations |
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Goods and Services Consumption |
Unnecessary consumption |
Necessary consumption |
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Tertiary Sector |
Large tertiary sector |
Small tertiary sector – self sufficiency |
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Distribution of Consumption |
Unequal distribution |
Equal distribution |
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Wastage |
High wastage |
Low wastage |
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Industrial Production |
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Pollution |
Heavy pollution |
Light or no pollution |
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Energy Consumption |
High energy consumption |
Low energy consumption |
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Technological Accidents |
Frequent and serious |
Infrequent and insignificant |
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Type of Processes |
Complicated |
Comprehensible |
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Impact on other Life Forms |
Destruction of other life forms |
Participatory dependence of on other life forms |
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Risk of Processes |
Ecologically dangerous |
Ecologically adapted |
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Food Production |
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Type of Agricultural System |
Monoculture |
Permaculture and diversification |
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Participation in Food Production |
Industrialised production by large farm units |
Production of food involves every family |
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Factors of Production |
Energy and capital intensive |
More labour intensive |
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Use of Fertilisers |
Artificial fertilisers |
Natural fertilisers |
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Use of Animals |
Animals used primarily as food source |
Animals perhaps used again for mechanical energy value |
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Impact on Soil |
Erosion and depletion |
Replenishment |
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EROEI of Food |
Low < 1.0 |
High > 10 |
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Control of Pests |
Dangerous pesticides used |
Ecological techniques used |
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