“Economics for Future” from Different Perspectives—Critical Reflections on SDG 8 with a Special Focus on Economic Growth and Some Suggestions for Alternatives Pathways

This chapter scrutinizes the UN’sUnited Nations (UN) commitment to economic growthEconomic growth as described in SDGSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8 whilst providing a critique of its neoliberal understanding of developmentDevelopment. It presents various alternativesAlternatives for “economics for future” from post-growth economies whilst considering different scales and perspectives. The young are considered central to the implementation of 2030 Agenda2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentDevelopment. Selected findings from an empirical survey of young people’s views from Germany are therefore presented and discussed in relation to post-growth economies and sustainabilitySustainability. The findings suggest that, whilst the younger generation is interested in concepts of diverse economies, it has little knowledge about them. Some recommendations are provided for further researchResearch and for integrating these ideas into the subject of geography in secondary and higher educationHigher education.