When Less is Less: The Complexities of Growth and the Degrowth Company

In this paper I take issue with settled claims that the organisational features of the corporation make it the most effective enabler of growth under capitalism – an assumption that has focused various growth-critical narratives on mechanisms to regulate corporate growth. I argue that such narratives are flawed because far from blindly amplifying growth, the corporate form often operationalises degrowth to protect capital. This argument is theoretically grounded in Marx’s analysis of the particularities of growth under capitalism, and a law in context analysis of how companies operationalise their degrowth facilities to protect capital/shareholder interests. The paper shows that narratives seeking to both protect the environment and deliver human flourishing need to be contextualised within an understanding of the specifics of growth under capitalism and the function of corporate law architecture.