Jason Hickel
Jason Hickel
Biography of a Renowned Economist and Author
Full Name and Common Aliases
Jason Hickel is a South African-born economist and author who has gained international recognition for his thought-provoking writings on economic development, inequality, and environmental sustainability.
Birth and Death Dates
Born in 1980, Jason Hickel's life and work continue to shape contemporary debates on globalization, capitalism, and the human condition. As of my knowledge cutoff, he is still active in academia and public discourse.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Jason Hickel holds South African nationality and has worked as an economist, professor, and author throughout his career. His expertise spans various fields, including economic development, inequality, climate change, and globalization.
Early Life and Background
Growing up in a middle-class family in South Africa, Jason Hickel developed a strong interest in economics and politics from an early age. He pursued higher education at the University of Pretoria, where he earned his undergraduate degree in economics. Hickel's academic trajectory led him to pursue further studies at the London School of Economics (LSE), where he earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees in development studies.
Major Accomplishments
Jason Hickel has achieved significant recognition for his work as an economist and author. Some of his notable accomplishments include:
Research on Economic Development: Hickel's research has focused on understanding the complexities of economic development, particularly in the context of globalization. His work has challenged conventional wisdoms on growth, inequality, and poverty reduction.
Critique of Globalization: As an economist and public intellectual, Jason Hickel has been vocal about the negative consequences of unchecked globalization. He has argued that this system perpetuates inequality, environmental degradation, and social injustice.
Climate Change Research: Hickel's work on climate change has emphasized the need for radical transformations in our economic systems to mitigate the effects of global warming.Notable Works or Actions
Jason Hickel is the author of several influential books, including:
"The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and Its Solutions" (2017): This book provides a comprehensive analysis of global inequality and presents alternatives for creating a more equitable world.
* "Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World" (2020): Hickel's latest book offers a compelling case for degrowth as a viable solution to environmental degradation, social injustice, and economic instability.
Impact and Legacy
Jason Hickel's work has had significant impacts on the global discourse around economics, development, and climate change. His ideas have influenced policymakers, activists, and scholars worldwide, shaping the way we think about growth, inequality, and sustainability.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Jason Hickel is widely quoted and remembered for his thought-provoking writings on economic development, globalization, and environmental sustainability. His commitment to challenging dominant narratives and advocating for radical change has earned him recognition as a leading voice in contemporary debates on these issues.
Quotes by Jason Hickel
Jason Hickel's insights on:
If your economy requires people to consume things they don't need or even want, and to do more of it each year than the year before, just in order to keep the whole edifice from collapsing, then you need a different economy
Economists have always recognised that some kind of initial accumulation was necessary for the rise of capitalism. Adam Smith called this ‘previous accumulation’, and claimed that it came about because a few people worked really hard and saved their earnings– an idyllic tale that still gets repeated in economics textbooks. But historians see it as naïve. This was no innocent process of saving. It was a process of plunder.
Atmospheric carbon concentration should not breach 350ppm if the climate is to remain stable (we crossed that boundary in 1990, and hit 415ppm in 2020).
It is politically easier to rev up GDP and hope some of it trickles down to the poor than it is to distribute existing income more fairly.
If for whatever reason we don’t manage to stabilise the climate – a real possibility – nuclear sites will be vulnerable to severe storms, rising seas and other disasters that could turn them into radiation bombs. With climate breakdown bearing down on us, relying too much on nuclear could become a dangerous gamble.
As ecological breakdown triggers tipping points, as agricultural output declines, as mass displacement undermines political stability, and as cities are ruined by rising seas, the environmental, social and material infrastructure that underpins the possibility of growth – and indeed the possibility of organised civilisation – will fall apart.
The problem with economic growth isn’t just that we might run out of resources at some point. The problem is that it progressively degrades the integrity of ecosystems.
This is the core principle of capitalism: that the world is not really alive, and it is certainly not our kin, but rather just stuff to be extracted and discarded – and that includes most of the human beings living here too. From its very first principles, capitalism has set itself at war against life itself.
Lashed to the growth imperative, technology is used not to do the same amount of stuff in less time, but rather to do more stuff in the same amount of time.
When we innovate more efficient ways to use energy and resources, total consumption may briefly drop, but it quickly rebounds to an even higher rate. Why? Because companies use the savings to reinvest in ramping up more production. In the end, the sheer scale effect of growth swamps even the most spectacular efficiency improvements.