COVID-19 has shaken the world. It has already led to the loss or devastation of countless lives, while many people in vital professions are working day and night to attend to the sick and stop further spread. Personal and social losses, and the fight to stop these, demand our continued respect and support. At the same time, it is critical to view this pandemic in historical context in order to avoid repeating past mistakes when we plan for the future.
The fact that COVID-19 has already had such a major economic impact is due, amongst other factors, to the economic development model that has been dominant globally over the last 30 years. This model demands ever-growing circulation of goods and people, despite the countless ecological problems and growing inequalities it generates. Over the last few weeks, the weaknesses of the neoliberal growth machine have been painfully exposed. Amongst other issues we have seen: large companies pleading for immediate state support once effective demand falls away for even a short time; insecure jobs being lost or put on hold; and further strain placed on already underfunded healthcare systems. People who recently confronted the government in their struggles for recognition and decent salaries are now, remarkably, considered to have ‘vital professions’ in healthcare, elderly care, public transport and education.
A further weakness of the current system, and one that is not yet prominent in discussions of the pandemic, is the link between economic development, the loss of biodiversity and important ecosystem functions, and the opportunity for diseases like COVID-19 to spread among humans. These are lethal links and could become much more so. The WHO has already estimated that, globally, 4.2 million people die each year from outdoor air pollution, and that the impacts of climate change are expected to cause 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. Experts warn that with further severe degradation of ecosystems – a scenario that is to be expected under the current economic model – chances for further and even stronger virus outbreaks on top of these unfolding catastrophes are realistic.
All this requires drastic and integrated action and makes it critical to start planning for a postCOVID-19 world as soon as possible. While some short-term positive social and environmental impacts have emerged in the crisis—such as community support, local organizing and solidarity, less pollution and GHG emissions—these changes will be temporary and marginalized without concerted efforts for broader political and economic change. It is therefore necessary to envision how this current situation could lead to a more sustainable, fair, equitable, healthy, and resilient form of (economic) development going forward.
This brief manifesto signed by 170 Netherlands-based scholars working on issues around development aims to summarize what we know to be critical and successful policy strategies for moving forward during and after the crisis.
We propose five key policy proposals for a post-COVID-19 development model, all of which can be implemented immediately and sustained after this particular crisis has subsided:
1) a move away from development focused on aggregate GDP growth to differentiate among sectors that can grow and need investment (the so-called critical public sectors, and clean energy, education, health and more) and sectors that need to radically degrow due to their fundamental unsustainability or their role in driving continuous and excessive consumption (especially private sector oil, gas, mining, advertising, and so forth);
2) an economic framework focused on redistribution, which establishes a universal basic income rooted in a universal social policy system, a strong progressive taxation of income, profits and wealth, reduced working hours and job sharing, and recognizes care work and essential public services such as health and education for their intrinsic value;
3) agricultural transformation towards regenerative agriculture based on biodiversity conservation, sustainable and mostly local and vegetarian food production, as well as fair agricultural employment conditions and wages;
4) reduction of consumption and travel, with a drastic shift from luxury and wasteful consumption and travel to basic, necessary, sustainable and satisfying consumption and travel;
5) debt cancellation, especially for workers and small business owners and for countries in the global south (both from richer countries and international financial institutions).
As academics, we are convinced that this policy vision will lead to more sustainable, equal and diverse societies based on international solidarity, and ones that can better prevent and deal with shocks and pandemics to come. For us the question is no longer whether we need to start implementing these strategies, but how we go about it. As we acknowledge those groups hardest hit by this particular crisis in the Netherlands and beyond, we can do justice to them by being proactive in ensuring that a future crisis will be much less severe, cause much less suffering or not happen at all. Together with many other communities, in the Netherlands and globally, we believe the time is right for such a positive and meaningful vision going forward. We urge politicians, policy-makers and the general public to start organizing for their implementation sooner rather than later.
Signed:
- Murat Arsel, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Ellen Bal, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Bosman Batubara, IHE, Delft Universiteit en Universiteit van Amsterdam
Maarten Bavinck, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Pascal Beckers, Radboud Universiteit
Kees Biekart, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Arpita Bisht, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Cebuan Bliss, Radboud Universiteit
Rutgerd Boelens, Wageningen Universiteit
Simone de Boer, Leiden Universiteit
Jun Borras, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Suzanne Brandon, Wageningen Universiteit
Arjen Buijs, Wageningen Universiteit
Bram Büscher, Wageningen Universiteit
Amrita Chhachhi, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Kristen Cheney, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Robert Coates, Wageningen Universiteit
Dimitris Dalakoglou, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Jampel Dell’Angelo, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Josephine Chambers, Wageningen Universiteit
Freek Colombijn, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Tine Davids, Radboud Universiteit
Sierra Deutsch, Wageningen Universiteit
Madi Ditmars, Afrika Studiecentrum Leiden
Guus Dix, Leiden Universiteit
Martijn Duineveld, Wageningen Universiteit
Henk Eggens, Royal Tropical Institute
Thomas Eimer, Radboud Universiteit
Flávio Eiró, Radboud Universiteit
Willem Elbers, Radboud Universiteit
Jaap Evers, IHE Delft Universiteit
Giuseppe Feola, Utrecht Universiteit
Milja Fenger, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Andrew Fischer, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Robert Fletcher, Wageningen Universiteit
Judith Floor, Open Universiteit en Wageningen Universiteit
Des Gasper, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Lennie Geerlings, Leiden Universiteit
Julien-François Gerber, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Jan Bart Gewald, African Studies Centre Leiden
Sterre Gilsing, Utrecht Universiteit
Cristina Grasseni, Leiden Universiteit
Erella Grassiani, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Joyeeta Gupta, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Wendy Harcourt, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Janne Heederik, Radboud Universiteit
Henk van den Heuvel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Silke Heumann, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Thea Hilhorst, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Helen Hintjens, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Geoffrey Hobbis, Groningen Universiteit
Stephanie Hobbis, Wageningen Universiteit
Barbara Hogenboom, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Michaela Hordijk, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Sabine van der Horst, Utrecht Universiteit
Henk van Houtum, Radboud Universiteit
Edward Huijbens, Wageningen Universiteit
Kees Jansen, Wageningen Universiteit
Freek Janssens, Leiden Universiteit
Rosalba Icaza, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Verina Ingram, Wageningen Economic Research en Wageningen Universiteit
Rivke Jaffe, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Shyamika Jayasundara-Smits, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Joop de Jong, Amsterdam UMC
Rik Jongenelen, African Studies Centre, Leiden
Joost Jongerden, Wageningen Universiteit
Emanuel de Kadt, Utrecht Universiteit
Coco Kanters, Leiden Universiteit.
Agnieszka Kazimierczuk, African Studies Centre Leiden
Jeltsje Kemerink-Seyoum, IHE Delft Universiteit
Thomas Kiggell, Wageningen Universiteit
Mathias Koepke, Utrecht Universiteit
Michiel Köhne, Wageningen Universiteit
Anouk de Koning, Leiden Universiteit
Kees Koonings, Utrecht Universiteit en Universiteit van Amsterdam
Stasja Koot, Wageningen Universiteit
Michelle Kooy, IHE Delft Universiteit
Martijn Koster, Radboud Universiteit
Rachel Kuran, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Arnoud Lagendijk, Radboud Universiteit
Corinne Lamain, Erasmus Universiteit
Irene Leonardelli, IHE Delft Universiteit
Maggi Leung, Utrecht Universiteit
Yves van Leynseele, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Janwillem Liebrand, Utrecht Universiteit
Trista Chich-Chen Lin, Wageningen Universiteit
Andrew Littlejohn, Leiden Universiteit
Mieke Lopes-Cardozo, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Erik de Maaker, Leiden Universiteit
Žiga Malek, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Ellen Mangnus, Wageningen Universiteit
Hans Marks, Radboud Universiteit
Jemma Middleton, Leiden Universiteit
Irene Moretti, Leiden Universiteit.
Esther Miedema, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Toon van Meijl, Radboud Universiteit
Miriam Meissner, Maastricht Universiteit
Adam Moore, Radboud Universiteit
Tsegaye Moreda, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Oona Morrow, Wageningen Universiteit
Farhad Mukhtarov, Erasmus Universiteit
Nikki Mulder, Leiden Universiteit
Mansoob Murshed, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Paul Mutsaers, Radboud Universiteit
Femke van Noorloos, Utrecht Universiteit
Martijn Oosterbaan, Utrecht Universiteit
Meghann Ormond, Wageningen Universiteit
Annet Pauwelussen, Wageningen Universiteit
Peter Pels, Leiden Universiteit
Lee Pegler, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Lorenzo Pellegrini, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Yvon van der Pijl, Universiteit Utrecht
Liedeke Plate, Radboud Universiteit
Fernande Pool, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Metje Postma, Leiden Universiteit
Nicky Pouw, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Crelis Rammelt, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Elisabet Rasch, Wageningen Universiteit
Marina de Regt, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Ria Reis, Leiden Universiteit Medical Center
Andro Rilović, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Tobias Rinke de Wit (Universiteit van Amsterdam
Claudia Rodríguez Orrego, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Eva van Roekel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Mirjam Ros-Tonen, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Martin Ruivenkamp, Wageningen Universiteit
Ary A. Samsura, Planologie, Radboud Universiteit
Annemarie Samuels, Leiden Universiteit
Ton Salman, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Younes Saramifar, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Federico Savini, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Joeri Scholtens, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Mindi Schneider, Wageningen Universiteit
Lau Schulpen, Radboud Universiteit
Peter Schumacher, Utrecht Universiteit
Amod Shah, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Murtah Shannon, Utrecht Universiteit
Karin Astrid Siegmann, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Sven da Silva, Radboud Universiteit 140. Giulia Sinatti, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Lothar Smit, Radboud Universiteit
Marja Spierenburg, Leiden Universiteit
Rachel Spronk, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Antonia Stanojevic, Radboud Universiteit
Nora Stel, Radboud Universiteit
Marjo de Theije, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Louis Thiemann, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Lisa Trogisch, Wageningen Universiteit
Wendelien Tuyp, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Esther Veen, Wageningen Universiteit
Lieke van der Veer, Radboud Universiteit
Courtney Vegelin, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Hemalatha Venkataraman, Radboud Universiteit
Willemijn Verkoren, Radboud Universiteit
Gerard Verschoor, Wageningen Universiteit
Hebe Verrest, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Bas Verschuuren, Wageningen Universiteit
Mark Vicol, Wageningen Universiteit
Oanne Visser, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Anick Vollebergh, Radboud Universiteit
Roanne van Voorst, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Pieter de Vries, Wageningen Universiteit
Vincent Walstra, Leiden Universiteit.
Maaike Westra, African Studies Centre Leiden
Mark Westmoreland, Leiden Universiteit
Niekkie Wiegink, Utrecht Universiteit
Saskia Wieringa, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Angela Wigger, Radboud Universiteit
Han Wiskerke, Wageningen Universiteit
Margreet Zwarteveen, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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