Politics of Scarcity versus Technological Optimism
A Possible Reconciliation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6274353 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jack D Salmon (Virginia Tech, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1977 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 701 |
| Publication date | 1977-12-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Studies Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8833 • E-ISSN: 1468-2478 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2600196 |
| OpenAlex | W2323138304 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 10 |
Given the fact that modern political societies assume the necessity of economic growth, solutions must then be found for the resulting problem of scarcity. In the view of the technological optimist, scarcity is a “normal” reaction which results from faulty social policy and inadequate R&D. In contrast, “revolutionary” scarcity politics sees infinite growth as impossible in a finite world and advocates recognition of limits, reorientation of values, and appropriate political and social adjustments. Although most technological solutions would only buy time, often at high social cost, they are favored by current social and political forces. However, one very recent proposal may be different: large-scale industrial expansion into space, using nonterran energy and materials to relieve planetary scarcity. Recent conceptual breakthroughs make this implicit long-term goal of U.S. and Soviet Union space programs possible in medium-term (20–30 years) futures. As a normal science solution and one which, nonetheless, accepts fundamental assumptions of the scarcity paradigm, space industrialization offers reconciliation of contrary positions. Support for the proposal is growing rapidly; its social and political impact would be extensive and must be assessed
Development economics · Economic system · Economics · Industrialisation · Macroeconomics · Market economy · Neoclassical economics · Optimism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Scarcity · Space (punctuation) · Technological change · Global Energy and Sustainability Research · Law · Psychology · Space exploration and regulation · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
The Great Transformation
The structure of scientific revolutions
Global Dominance and Dependence, Post-Industrialism, and International Relations Theory
Scarcity and the Future of Politics
Generational Change in American Politics
Energy Strategy
On Inequality and Limited Growth
The Politics of Space Cooperation
The Decision to Go to the Moon
| Citations per year | 0.07 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1983 - 2020 (38) |
| Highly cited | No |