But no, it looks like it's a term originating or emanating from a political "leftist" standpoint which may have enough of a "redistribution" agenda to color environmental or economic considerations.
Another term that may or may not be very current any more in the corporate-speak lexicon was "right-sizing." This was to conjure an image of something major happening other than merely layoffs, when of course it translated directly to; "layoffs." That's real degrowth for sure, without a doubt it comes from misguided corporations. Overgrown corporations, or there wouldn't be layoffs would there?
It would be pretty good to have a bunch of brilliant mature people deeply focusing on the degree to which the greed component, including up to pure greed, can be the most damaging component. Without which sensible growth might not be any problem at all.
As long as people of all persuasions would unite, pay attention, and take action to reverse only the greed without ruining everything else, that's the kind of leadership that is absent like never before.
Whether it was centered around universities and whether they had PhDs or not.
Universities alone probably wouldn't be enough, and if the effort was mainly geared toward a degree program it might take too long for enough graduates to make a difference.
You've really got to have both "conservative" and "liberal" think tanks start converging on a solution which only throws out the greed (filthy bathwater) without discarding the fresh clean (unencumbered by greed) "baby" who desperately needs to grow to an adult without undue hindrance.
I mean financially conservative & liberal, none of that radical political stuff where they take such inhuman pleasure at trying to screw each other's pooch :\ Isolate greed and underhandedness to the 1% fringe nutjobs like it used to be, that poor canine has had more abuse than it can take :(
That's the 1% to curtail the most, the 1% richest didn't used to be so much of a problem when the extreme radicals were universally ostracized rather than drawing a crowd through media spectacle and rallying hate.
It would be good to happen much sooner than a university, at least until the academics get up to speed.