Green Economic Development: Contentious Discourses and State Activity

• In Event: 254 - Section on Environment and Technology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 12. Corporations and State Power

Abstract

Today’s emphasis on sustainable development (SD) emerged from the environmental movements of the 1960s and 1970s, which explicitly challenged the modern industrial project and its assumption of the centrality of growth. As SD discourse gained political influence, however, its message became increasingly coopted, and by the 1992 Earth Summit, the meaning and momentum behind the term had greatly deteriorated. Also around this time, neoliberalism gained hegemony in economic politics, weakening the power of the state and prioritizing the activity of a mythical free market in resolving social and environmental needs. In this paper, we argue that the recent interest in green economic development, a major theme articulated during the 2012 “Rio+20” conference, can be seen as a response to both the cooptation of SD and the strengthening of neoliberal policies. We further argue that the green economy (GE) can benefit from positioning itself within this broader history, bringing related lessons and insights into its fold. We conclude by suggesting that a strong GE discourse, one that prioritizes both people and the environment, provides an opportunity to revitalize the state, combat neoliberal primacy, and drive progressive economic and environmental policy.

Authors

• Jenna Ann Lamphere, University of Tennessee

• Jon D. Shefner, University of Tennessee