On the Need to Rethink the Way We Understand Growth: Media Evidence on Economic Growth as an Empty Signifier

Abstract This paper argues that economic growth is an empty signifier and, on this basis, calls for a different approach to economic growth. It is based on an analysis of Czech and Slovak alternative and mainstream media, as well as interviews with journalists and columnists writing for these media. The article demonstrates that economic growth, as a media term, lacks clarity, is generally perceived positively, constitutes a systemic limit, and is surrounded by emotionally charged narratives and a chain of equivalences. Additionally, economic growth unites opposing forces in society and integrates incompatible discursive elements. It is sedimented into objectivity, reinforced by a lack of knowledge about economic growth, the constraints of news and interview genres, and the subordination of critique to the expectations of readers, editors, and the ideological positioning of centrist media institutions. However, the dominance of economic growth is questioned in the interviews. According to the respondents, reactivation is possible by including sources critical of growth in news or opinion sections or by selecting topics that conflict with the growth agenda.