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Work “as if people mattered”: Reassessing the contribution of E. F. Schumacher

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  • Bailly, Franck
  • Dubrion, Benjamin

Abstract

While academic literature has widely acclaimed E. F. Schumacher's work for its critique of the industrial production system and its contribution to the depletion of natural resources, it has downplayed the author's reflections on work. This article aims to reassess Schumacher as a genuine theorist of work. By conceptualising ecological and work issues as two sides of the same productive reality, we demonstrate that Schumacher emerges as a proponent of the thesis of the centrality of work in human life, outlining concrete pathways to strive towards what he terms “Good Work”. Schumacher's reflections on work thus serve not only to critique the manner in which mainstream economics apprehends the nature and purposes of work, but also to more broadly question the conceptual and normative assumptions underlying that paradigm.

Suggested Citation

  • Bailly, Franck & Dubrion, Benjamin, 2027. "Work “as if people mattered”: Reassessing the contribution of E. F. Schumacher," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:251:y:2027:i:c:s0921800926003149
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.109229
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • B55 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Social Economics
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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