This is a review of Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train by Brian Czech.
Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train
by Brian Czech
University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 2000
ISBN: 0520225147
Brian Czech is a wildlife bioligist by profession and it is interesting that he should choose to write this book on the topic of steady-state economics. He notes in the prologue that his epiphany came while on a trawling boat in the Bering Sea. He wondered how the ship could hold the enormous catch it was bringing in until it dawned on him that the fish were being caught for their roe and then pumped out to sea "as a sort of ichthyological hamburger." He then went on to work in forest conservation. Here he realised that the real roots of the destruction of forests lay in economic growth and that if he wanted to save the forests and wildlife that he loved he would have to work on the challenging the assumptions of neo-classical economics.
Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train is divided into two parts. The first part is entitled "The Runaway Train" and it details the problems with economic growth and neo-classical economics and gives an overview of ecological economics. The second part is entitled "Stopping the Train" and it details Czech's model for a "Steady State Revolution" which would transform the growth economy to a steady state economy.
Czech does an exceptional job of explaining the problems of neo-classical economics and its obsession with growth. He cleverly redefines economic growth as "economic bloating" and he avoids bogging the reader down with technical terms. This makes the book accessible and interesting to readers of all backgrounds.
He argues that there is need for a Copernican revolution in the world view of neo-classical economists. "Only when we have a more Copernican economics will economists live in a world in which economic growth is limited, where the rest of us common folk are already stuck," Czech writes. Just as the universe does not revolve around the world, neither can limitless economic growth occur in a finite world. Indeed Czech rightly points out that this is simply common sense, but he is also aware of the power of the paradigm and also the power of politics which both seek to maintain the status quo.
There is an entire chapter devoted to critique of Julian Simon's work, in particular Simon's opus Ultimate Resource 2. Simon was one of the most influential proponents of unlimited economic growth. According to Czech he did little more than construct a strawman and his arguments are full of holes and flaws. As mentioned before perhaps this is all little more than common sense, so where does it lead us?
In the last chapter of part one Czech introduces ecological economics. The chapter is entitled "Copernicus, are you out there?" which again alludes to the need for a paradigm shift. He again brings up the name of Kuhn and notes that many of the great discoveries in science have been made by people working outside their field. This is because they work with fewer assumptions and "do not suffer the tunnel vision of the paradigm." This is the reason why many of those who challenge the economic growth model come from a background in the physical and biological sciences. Czech gives the interesting example of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen who had a background in mathematics and physics before beginning to study economics. He applied the theory of thermodynamics to economics to show that "in entropy terms, the cost of any biological or economic enterprise is always greater than the product... any such activity necessarily results in a deficit."
It is also noted that the contribution of scientists alone to ecological economics is not sufficient. Those devoted to the study of economics still have an important role to play for it is they who truly understand the nuances of what makes an economy work. It is here that the work of Daly and others is significant.
Having spelled out the problem and given an overview of the solution, Czech delivers his manifesto for a "steady state revolution" in part two of the book. He asserts that there is a need for "nothing less than a revolution, a social revolution to match the academic revolution of ecological economics." The target of Czech's revolution is over consumption or more specifically what he defines as conspicuous consumption. This is the indulgences of the very rich which go way beyond any kinds of need.
The steady state revolution is based on a radical definition of the classes (although it should be noted it has nothing to do with Marxism). Three new classes are defined—the liquidating class, the amorphic class and the steady state class.
The liquidating class is defined as "the top one percent of people, in terms of personal consumption expenditure." At the other end of the spectrum is the steady state class. This group is the 80 percent with the lowest personal consumption expenditure. The amorphic class is the 19 percent falling between the two groups.
There are some interesting reasons for targeting the super rich and perhaps one of the best ones is that a vastly disproportionate share of the additional wealth created by economic growth goes to those in the liquidating and amorphic classes. This statistic is interesting: "The average income of the 80 percent of Americans who are non-managerial has declined over the past twenty years." Another interesting statistic is that "approximately 99 percent of the annual increase in American's wealth goes to the 20 percent that is most wealthy.
Where the plans for Czech's steady state revolution fall short are that they target the excesses of consumption but not consumerism per se and also that it lacks a clear political agenda. The fact that politics, business and the media is dominated by the liquidating class is a quite enormous obstacle to any sort of revolution. Also his analysis doesn't extend beyond America to consider the vast global imbalance in wealth. Even the steady staters in the USA are much wealthier than most people in the world. (Although perhaps this is the reason for focussing on the USA).
The few small problems I have noted about Czech's steady state revolution do not really detract that much from the book overall. Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train is an engaging read and provides much food for thought. It is a welcome addition to the body of literature that explore alternatives to the current economic system.
Note: The author's website is www.steadystate.org