Why is “economic growth” not always a good thing? How can “job creation” actually increase the number of unemployed? FAIR’s newest report, “A Change of Plans: Rethinking Rapid Growth in a Finite World,” answers those questions and refutes the premise that economic prosperity is intrinsically tied to population growth. America’s rapid population growth, made possible because of a “broken immigration system” at the federal level, has not led to increased prosperity and a better quality of life, but instead has contributed to higher unemployment, increasing income inequality, and ecological degradation.
Most Americans disagree with the notion that “all growth is good,” yet many feel powerless to oppose proponents of growth who spend tens of millions of dollars every year on lobbying and marketing campaigns. But Americans can effect a change. They can begin by challenging politicians who promote rapid growth to explain why these policies only reap rewards for a small, politically connected elite. And voters can put into office leaders whose primary goal is not growth but the welfare of all their constituents.