COVID-19 has shaken the world. It has already led to the loss or devastation of countless lives, while many people in vital professions are working day and night to attend to the sick and stop further spread. Personal and social losses, and the fight to stop these, demand our continued respect and support. At the same time, it is critical to view this pandemic in historical context in order to avoid repeating past mistakes when we plan for the future. 

The fact that COVID-19 has already had such a major economic impact is due, amongst other factors, to the economic development model that has been dominant globally over the last 30 years. This model demands ever-growing circulation of goods and people, despite the countless ecological problems and growing inequalities it generates. Over the last few weeks, the weaknesses of the neoliberal growth machine have been painfully exposed. Amongst other issues we have seen: large companies pleading for immediate state support once effective demand falls away for even a short time; insecure jobs being lost or put on hold; and further strain placed on already underfunded healthcare systems. People who recently confronted the government in their struggles for recognition and decent salaries are now, remarkably, considered to have ‘vital professions’ in healthcare, elderly care, public transport and education. 

A further weakness of the current system, and one that is not yet prominent in discussions of the pandemic, is the link between economic development, the loss of biodiversity and important ecosystem functions, and the opportunity for diseases like COVID-19 to spread among humans. These are lethal links and could become much more so. The WHO has already estimated that, globally, 4.2 million people die each year from outdoor air pollution, and that the impacts of climate change are expected to cause 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. Experts warn that with further severe degradation of ecosystems – a scenario that is to be expected under the current economic model – chances for further and even stronger virus outbreaks on top of these unfolding catastrophes are realistic.

All this requires drastic and integrated action and makes it critical to start planning for a post-COVID-19 world as soon as possible. While some short-term positive social and environmental impacts have emerged in the crisis—such as community support, local organizing and solidarity, less pollution and GHG emissions—these changes will be temporary and marginalized without concerted efforts for broader political and economic change. It is therefore necessary to envision how this current situation could lead to a more sustainable, fair, equitable, healthy, and resilient form of (economic) development going forward. 

This brief manifesto signed by 170 Netherlands-based scholars working on issues around development aims to summarize what we know to be critical and successful policy strategies for moving forward during and after the crisis.

We propose five key policy proposals for a post-COVID-19 development model, all of which can be implemented immediately and sustained after this particular crisis has subsided: 

1) a move away from development focused on aggregate GDP growth to differentiate among sectors that can grow and need investment (the so-called critical public sectors, and clean energy, education, health and more) and sectors that need to radically degrow due to their fundamental unsustainability or their role in driving continuous and excessive consumption (especially private sector oil, gas, mining, advertising, and so forth); 

2) an economic framework focused on redistribution, which establishes a universal basic income rooted in a universal social policy system, a strong progressive taxation of income, profits and wealth, reduced working hours and job sharing, and recognizes care work and essential public services such as health and education for their intrinsic value; 

3) agricultural transformation towards regenerative agriculture based on biodiversity conservation, sustainable and mostly local and vegetarian food production, as well as fair agricultural employment conditions and wages; 

4) reduction of consumption and travel, with a drastic shift from luxury and wasteful consumption and travel to basic, necessary, sustainable and satisfying consumption and travel; 

5) debt cancellation, especially for workers and small business owners and for countries in the global south (both from richer countries and international financial institutions).

As academics, we are convinced that this policy vision will lead to more sustainable, equal and diverse societies based on international solidarity, and ones that can better prevent and deal with shocks and pandemics to come. For us the question is no longer whether we need to start implementing these strategies, but how we go about it. As we acknowledge those groups hardest hit by this particular crisis in the Netherlands and beyond, we can do justice to them by being proactive in ensuring that a future crisis will be much less severe, cause much less suffering or not happen at all. Together with many other communities, in the Netherlands and globally, we believe the time is right for such a positive and meaningful vision going forward. We urge politicians, policy-makers and the general public to start organizing for their implementation sooner rather than later.

Signed:

1. Ana Aceska, Wageningen University
2. Murat Arsel, Erasmus University Rotterdam
3. Ellen Bal, Vrije University Amsterdam
4. Bosman Batubara, IHE, Delft University en University of Amsterdam
5. Maarten Bavinck, University of Amsterdam
6. Pascal Beckers, Radboud University
7. Kees Biekart, Erasmus University Rotterdam
8. Arpita Bisht, Erasmus University Rotterdam
9. Cebuan Bliss, Radboud University
10. Rutgerd Boelens, Wageningen University
11. Simone de Boer, Leiden University
12. Jun Borras, Erasmus University Rotterdam
13. Suzanne Brandon, Wageningen University
14. Arjen Buijs, Wageningen University
15. Bram Büscher, Wageningen University
16. Amrita Chhachhi, Erasmus University Rotterdam
17. Kristen Cheney, Erasmus University Rotterdam
18. Robert Coates, Wageningen University
19. Dimitris Dalakoglou, Vrije University Amsterdam
20. Jampel Dell’Angelo, Vrije University Amsterdam
21. Josephine Chambers, Wageningen University
22. Freek Colombijn, Vrije University Amsterdam
23. Tine Davids, Radboud University
24. Sierra Deutsch, Wageningen University
25. Madi Ditmars, Afrika Studiecentrum Leiden
26. Guus Dix, Leiden University
27. Martijn Duineveld, Wageningen University
28. Henk Eggens, Royal Tropical Institute
29. Thomas Eimer, Radboud University
30. Flávio Eiró, Radboud University
31. Willem Elbers, Radboud University
32. Jaap Evers, IHE Delft University
33. Giuseppe Feola, Utrecht University
34. Milja Fenger, Erasmus University Rotterdam
35. Andrew Fischer, Erasmus University Rotterdam
36. Robert Fletcher, Wageningen University
37. Judith Floor, Open University en Wageningen University
38. Des Gasper, Erasmus University Rotterdam
39. Lennie Geerlings, Leiden University
40. Julien-François Gerber, Erasmus University Rotterdam
41. Jan Bart Gewald, African Studies Centre Leiden
42. Sterre Gilsing, Utrecht University
43. Cristina Grasseni, Leiden University
44. Erella Grassiani, University of Amsterdam
45. Joyeeta Gupta, University of Amsterdam
46. Wendy Harcourt, Erasmus University Rotterdam
47. Janne Heederik, Radboud University
48. Henk van den Heuvel, Vrije University Amsterdam
49. Silke Heumann, Erasmus University Rotterdam
50. Thea Hilhorst, Erasmus University Rotterdam
51. Helen Hintjens, Erasmus University Rotterdam
52. Geoffrey Hobbis, Groningen University
53. Stephanie Hobbis, Wageningen University
54. Barbara Hogenboom, University of Amsterdam
55. Michaela Hordijk, University of Amsterdam
56. Sabine van der Horst, Utrecht University
57. Henk van Houtum, Radboud University
58. Edward Huijbens, Wageningen University
59. Kees Jansen, Wageningen University
60. Freek Janssens, Leiden University
61. Rosalba Icaza, Erasmus University Rotterdam
62. Verina Ingram, Wageningen Economic Research en Wageningen University
63. Rivke Jaffe, University of Amsterdam
64. Shyamika Jayasundara-Smits, Erasmus University Rotterdam
65. Joop de Jong, Amsterdam UMC
66. Rik Jongenelen, African Studies Centre, Leiden
67. Joost Jongerden, Wageningen University
68. Emanuel de Kadt, Utrecht University
69. Coco Kanters, Leiden University.
70. Agnieszka Kazimierczuk, African Studies Centre Leiden
71. Jeltsje Kemerink-Seyoum, IHE Delft University
72. Thomas Kiggell, Wageningen University
73. Mathias Koepke, Utrecht University
74. Michiel Köhne, Wageningen University
75. Anouk de Koning, Leiden University
76. Kees Koonings, Utrecht University en University of Amsterdam
77. Stasja Koot, Wageningen University
78. Michelle Kooy, IHE Delft University
79. Martijn Koster, Radboud University 
80. Rachel Kuran, Erasmus University Rotterdam
81. Arnoud Lagendijk, Radboud University
82. Corinne Lamain, Erasmus University
83. Irene Leonardelli, IHE Delft University
84. Maggi Leung, Utrecht University
85. Yves van Leynseele, University of Amsterdam
86. Janwillem Liebrand, Utrecht University
87. Trista Chich-Chen Lin, Wageningen University
88. Andrew Littlejohn, Leiden University
89. Mieke Lopes-Cardozo, University of Amsterdam
90. Erik de Maaker, Leiden University
91. Žiga Malek, Vrije University Amsterdam
92. Ellen Mangnus, Wageningen University
93. Hans Marks, Radboud University
94. Jemma Middleton, Leiden University 
95. Irene Moretti, Leiden University.
96. Esther Miedema, University of Amsterdam
97. Toon van Meijl, Radboud University
98. Miriam Meissner, Maastricht University
99. Adam Moore, Radboud University
100. Tsegaye Moreda, Erasmus University Rotterdam
101. Oona Morrow, Wageningen University
102. Farhad Mukhtarov, Erasmus University
103. Nikki Mulder, Leiden University
104. Mansoob Murshed, Erasmus University Rotterdam
105. Paul Mutsaers, Radboud University
106. Femke van Noorloos, Utrecht University
107. Martijn Oosterbaan, Utrecht University
108. Meghann Ormond, Wageningen University
109. Annet Pauwelussen, Wageningen University
110. Peter Pels, Leiden University
111. Lee Pegler, Erasmus University Rotterdam
112. Lorenzo Pellegrini, Erasmus University Rotterdam
113. Yvon van der Pijl, University Utrecht
114. Liedeke Plate, Radboud University 
115. Fernande Pool, Erasmus University Rotterdam
116. Metje Postma, Leiden University
117. Nicky Pouw, University of Amsterdam
118. Crelis Rammelt, University of Amsterdam
119. Elisabet Rasch, Wageningen University
120. Marina de Regt, Vrije University Amsterdam
121. Ria Reis, Leiden University Medical Center
122. Andro Rilović, Erasmus University Rotterdam
123. Tobias Rinke de Wit (University of Amsterdam
124. Claudia Rodríguez Orrego, Erasmus University Rotterdam
125. Eva van Roekel, Vrije University Amsterdam
126. Mirjam Ros-Tonen, University of Amsterdam
127. Martin Ruivenkamp, Wageningen University
128. Ary A. Samsura, Planologie, Radboud University
129. Annemarie Samuels, Leiden University
130. Ton Salman, Vrije University Amsterdam
131. Younes Saramifar, Vrije University Amsterdam
132. Federico Savini, University of Amsterdam
133. Joeri Scholtens, University of Amsterdam
134. Mindi Schneider, Wageningen University
135. Lau Schulpen, Radboud University 
136. Peter Schumacher, Utrecht University
137. Amod Shah, Erasmus University Rotterdam
138. Murtah Shannon, Utrecht University
139. Karin Astrid Siegmann, Erasmus University Rotterdam
140. Sven da Silva, Radboud University
141. Giulia Sinatti, Vrije University Amsterdam
142. Lothar Smit, Radboud University
143. Marja Spierenburg, Leiden University
144. Rachel Spronk, University of Amsterdam
145. Antonia Stanojevic, Radboud University
146. Nora Stel, Radboud University
147. Marjo de Theije, Vrije University Amsterdam
148. Louis Thiemann, Erasmus University Rotterdam
149. Lisa Trogisch, Wageningen University
150. Wendelien Tuyp, Vrije University Amsterdam
151. Esther Veen, Wageningen University
152. Lieke van der Veer, Radboud University
153. Courtney Vegelin, University of Amsterdam
154. Hemalatha Venkataraman, Radboud University
155. Willemijn Verkoren, Radboud University
156. Gerard Verschoor, Wageningen University
157. Hebe Verrest, University of Amsterdam
158. Bas Verschuuren, Wageningen University
159. Mark Vicol, Wageningen University
160. Oanne Visser, Erasmus University Rotterdam
161. Anick Vollebergh, Radboud University
162. Roanne van Voorst, Erasmus University Rotterdam
163. Pieter de Vries, Wageningen University
164. Vincent Walstra, Leiden University.
165. Saskia Werners, Wageningen University
166. Maaike Westra, African Studies Centre Leiden
167. Mark Westmoreland, Leiden University
168. Nikkie Wiegink, Utrecht University
169. Saskia Wieringa, University of Amsterdam
170. Angela Wigger, Radboud University
171. Han Wiskerke, Wageningen University
172. Margreet Zwarteveen, University of Amsterdam

And the Dutch Footprint Group (www.voetafdruk.eu )