THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GREEN GROWTH: CASES FROM SOUTHERN AFRICA
| Author | Finn Tarp,James Thurlow,Danielle Resnick |
| Date | 01 August 2012 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.1619 |
| Published date | 01 August 2012 |
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GREEN GROWTH: CASES FROM
SOUTHERN AFRICA
DANIELLE RESNICK*, FINN TARP AND JAMES THURLOW
United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics Research, Finland
SUMMARY
The concept of Green Growth implies that a wide range of developmental objectives, such as job creation, economic prosperity
and poverty alleviation, can be easily reconciled with environmental sustainability. This article, however, argues that rather than
being win–win, Green Growth is similar to most types of policy reforms that advocate the acceptance of short-term adjustment
costs in the expectation of long-term gains. In particular, Green Growth policies often encourage developing countries to
redesign their national strategies in ways that might be inconsistent with natural comparative advantages and past investments.
In turn, there are often sizeable anti-reform coalitions whose interests may conflict with a Green Growth agenda. We illustrate
this argument by using case studies of Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa, which are engaged in development strategies
that involve inorganic fertilizers, biofuel production and coal-based energy, respectively. Each of these countries is pursuing
an environmentally suboptimal strategy but nonetheless addressing critical development needs, including food security, fuel
and electricity. We show that adopting a Green Growth approach would not only be economically costly but also generate
substantial domestic resistance, especially among the poor. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
key words—development policy; Green Growth; political economy; Southern Africa
INTRODUCTION
Over the last decade, the growing threat of climate change has mobilized the international development community
around a variety of initiatives. These efforts initially entailed a commitment to ‘low-carbon development,’which
primarily aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The broader notion of ‘sustainable development’sought not
only to address carbon emissions but also to preserve scarce water sources, fragile ecosystems and biodiversity.
More recently, the politically palatable concept of ‘Green Growth’has emerged, which promises to reconcile
low-carbon and sustainable development with other valued outcomes, including job creation, poverty alleviation
and high economic growth.
Indeed, the belief that Green Growth represents a ‘win–win’option for developing countries is suggested in
many recent reports on this topic. For instance, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) notes that‘Green Growth means fostering economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets
continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies’(OECD, 2011: 9). For the
United Nation’s Environmental Program (UNEP), the concept refers to ‘improved human well-being and social
equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities’(UNEP, 2011: 1). According to
the United Nation’s Economic and Social Commissionfor Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP),Green Growth is a policy
of ‘environmentallysustainable economic progressto foster low-carbon, sociallyinclusive development’(UNESCAP,
2011). World Bank researchers state that ‘Green Growthis about making growth processes resource-efficient, cleaner
and more resilient without necessarily slowing them’(Hallegatte et al., 2011).
This article, however,argues that Green Growth strategies are only ‘win–win’with respect to certaininterventions,
often at the household or project levels. In fact, many of the proponents of Green Growth focus on the successes of
*Correspondence to: D. Resnick, UNU-WIDER, Katajanokanlaituri 6B, FI-00160, Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: Resnick@wider.unu.edu
public administration and development
Public Admin. Dev. 32, 215–228 (2012)
Published online in Wiley Online Library
(wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/pad.1619
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
To continue reading
Request your trial