Situating the Green Economy: Discourses, Cooptation, and State Change

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to situate the green economy (GE) within the broader history of sustainable development (SD), bringing related lessons and insights into its fold.

Methodology/approach

We critically examine the history of SD, focusing on the relationship between SD outcomes and a variety of theoretical and political influences, such as demodernization theories, ecological modernization, neoliberalism, and state theory. We situate the GE within this broader history and identify emergent pathways to successful GE development.

Findings

We suggest 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.

Practical implications

A critical examination of SD history can provide important lessons for GE actors seeking progressive social and environmental change.

Originality/value

As social and environmental crises deepen, the need for developing and propagating discourses that engender economic reform and ecological protection becomes ever more evident.

Citation

Lamphere, J.A. and Shefner, J. (2015), "Situating the Green Economy: Discourses, Cooptation, and State Change", States and Citizens: Accommodation, Facilitation and Resistance to Globalization (Current Perspectives in Social Theory, Vol. 34), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 101-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0278-120420150000034005