Planned, unplanned and planning sufficiency for the good life

In my work, I question the notion of energy sufficiency, generally understood as a reduction in consumption and energy demand, and as an alternative to technological solutions. My PhD thesis hopes to contribute to conceptual clarification around sufficiency in relation to the good life, in Switzerland and Europe. I seek to understand the nexus between consumption reduction and wellbeing, through the study of everyday life in relation to fundamental needs. I conducted various empirical studies to better understand how consumption reduction can be discussed in relation to needs satisfaction, through the ideas of planned sufficiency, unplanned sufficiency, and planning sufficiency. My PhD project can be divided into three parts, which will be reflected in the final dissertation: 1) a study of planned sufficiency, through the example of people who chose to ‘living degrowth’, towards a more collective and needs-oriented interpretation of sufficiency; 2) a study of unplanned sufficiency, through the example of ‘lockdown practices’ in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic, towards understanding unplanned events as windows of opportunities for shifting practices while meeting human needs; and 3) a study on planning sufficiency, through the example of participatory workshops organized to discuss alternative imaginaries around living well with less in the future. The conclusion of the thesis will aim for policy relevance in drawing implications for sustainable welfare.