Sustainability vs economic growth: a third world perspective
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/WJEMSD-04-2015-0018 |
| Published date | 12 October 2015 |
| Date | 12 October 2015 |
| Pages | 312-324 |
| Author | Muhammad Arif Mustunsir |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,Business ethics,Sustainability |
Sustainability vs economic
growth: a third world perspective
Muhammad Arif Mustunsir
Department of Social Sciences, Iqra University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Abstract
Purpose –The rising dominance of sustainable development (SD) and green growth (GG) in
contemporary societies have become one of the foremost sources of contentions that most states face
today in the developing world. It is often suggested that institutionalizing key policies of the SD and
GG present a win-win situation. The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize and evaluate such a debate in
the light of existing empirical evidence on SD, GG and economic development (ED). It seeks to answer
the question “does the sustainability discourse fit in the modern socioeconomic needs of the developing
nations or not.”
Design/methodology/approach –This paper adopts a qualitative research technique. It mainly
relies on secondary sources of data. In aligning with key technical approach of qualitative research;
the secondary sourced data were also subject to content and thematic analyses from which facts, and
assumptions were derived to undertake the present study.
Findings –The main verdict of the paper is that SD and GG discourses do not fit in the crucial
socioeconomic needs of the underdeveloped nations. Endorsing SD and GG policies in emerging
countries is essentially about restraining their economic prosperity. In fact, it is an anti-growth agenda
in its essence. What makes it anti-growth is the core element of minimal use of critical natural capital to
grow economically, which lies at the heart of entire SD and GG. What makes it hard for the emerging
nations to comply with core elements of the sustainability is their capacity to comply with alternative
growth pathways. Thus, limiting the growth process by promoting the agendas of SD is fundamentally
about keeping deprived state/people poor.
Research limitations/implications –The work is exclusively limited to the author’s
understanding of issues and key concerns of developing world concerning institutionalization of the
SD and GG. The author’s comprehension may not fully reflect the foremost concerns of the emerging
nations. Moreover, Just a single research approach was employed in this study. A further empirical
investigation is required in this field for acknowledging and documenting all the key motives and
perspectives of third-world states when endorsing SD and GG policies.
Originality/value –The paper sheds light on the political aspects of promoting the SD, and
the long-lasting fact that the key concerns of sustainability pose challenges to the very existence
poor states in the south. Most of them are highly exposed to socioeconomic shocks. They cannot
afford to implement the policies of SD and GG as the majority of their citizens are living
under poverty line. The only panacea they have to overcome the existing social deprivation is
the massive ED. Furthermore, institutionalizing SD and GG may cause societal clashes in the
poor states.
Keywords Sustainable development, Developing countries, Anti-growth, Green growth,
Politics of sustainability, Socioeconomic development
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Throughout the recent decades, the developing danger of environmental changes
has activated the societies globally around an assortment of undertakings. These
endeavors at first were concerned with the pledge to lower the carbon advancement
that is fundamentally about the diminishing of the greenhouse-gas discharges. Now it
is also about the age as well as the entire discourse of the sustainable development (SD)
that aims to tackle the carbon discharges as well as to safeguard rare water sources,
delicate biological systems, and biodiversity.
World Journal of
Entrepreneurship, Management
and Sustainable Development
Vol. 11 No. 4, 2015
pp. 312-324
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2042-5961
DOI 10.1108/WJEMSD-04-2015-0018
Received 25 April 2015
Revised 24 May 2015
Accepted 16 June 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2042-5961.htm
312
WJEMSD
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