IN SEARCH OF EMPLOYMENT CREATION VIA ENVIRONMENTAL VALORISATION - EXPLORING A POSSIBLE ECO-KEYNESIAN FUTURE FOR EUROPE

By the mid-1970s it had become clear over much of the advanced capital ist world that rapid economic growth, profitable production, rising ma terial living standards, and full employment had ceased to be simultan eously attainable objectives. Moreover, it was also clear that the mas s economy had grave environmental impacts. We begin this paper by brie fly considering this transition before going on to examine the nature of the contemporary unemployment problem and to evaluate current appro aches to job creation. We go on to explore an alternative approach bas ed upon a transition to a different development trajectory, to a more sustainable regime of accumulation and enabling a eco-Keynesian mode o r regulation, that simultaneously addresses issues of job creation and environmental valorisation. The appropriate territorial basis of regu lation within Europe is then discussed. Last, some conclusions are dra wn and the sustainability of the alternative approach is discussed.