Constructing Meanings of a Green Economy: Investigation of an Argument for Africa’s Transition towards the Green Economy

 
Scope and Limitations 
One of the main limiting factors about this study is with related to the accessibility and con-
tent of the literature. Contemporary literature on the Green Economy seldom deals with its defi-
nition and instead focuses on its components and the links between them. Much of the ‘general’ 
literature on the subject is also published by closely related institutions and/or academics that 
have previously written for these institutions. This reduces the pool and diversity of sources for 
discussion of certain aspects of the concept. 
On the methodological front, the object of analysis (the speech) is explored in its written 
form. This reduces the likelihood of the analysis identifying components of the speech – words, 
phrases or sentences – that the speaker might have uttered with particular emphasis, possibly 
guiding the audience to receive his message in a particular manner. Textual analysis of this nature 
also requires significant experience and practice from the researcher, given the risks of over- or 
under-analysis. In this case, such experience is limited to three months of training in discourse 
studies. This analysis therefore is not complete or considered advanced, nor does it compare 
multiple texts which could help identify a wider discourse. The unit of analysis, the speech, is 
used as a sample of what may be a widespread experience in constructing meanings for a Green 
Economy.
The intention of this paper however, is not to identify a particular strand of Green Econo-
my discourse but rather but provide and an entry point in understand potential meanings for the 
main subject of interest, and how Green Economy’s staying power can be affected in the face 
their multiplicity affect. This leaves space open for more in-depth exploration of the same 
speech or other related documentation using different methodology and theory. 

---

 5 

---

 6 
Chapter 2 
The Green Economy: Context, Definitions and Critique 
Over the last decade or so, the world has fallen victim to a range of crises that happened in 
quick succession only to later converge into a multi-faceted crisis we face today. These crises 
have all had very tangible, negative impacts on human societies, be it in terms of environmental 
or socio-economic damage. Along with the manifestation of these crises, concepts such as green 
growth or the Green Economy have gained traction and now sit firmly at the top of international 
environmental policy making agendas. In this chapter we explore the main tenets of these con-
cepts, giving particular attention to the most recent concept, the Green Economy.