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5 - ‘Great Expectations’

The Green Economy Discourse and Practice in Romania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2021

By
Simona Davidescu
Edited by
Jenny M. Fairbrass  and
Nicholas Vasilakos
Jenny M. Fairbrass
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia
Nicholas Vasilakos
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia
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Summary

This chapter looks at the extent to which the green economy agenda is nothing more than ‘business as usual’ focused on growth and investment in the case of an unlikely green state. Romania had limited credentials with regard to ambitious environmental policy and a difficult transition to market economy and democracy. However, Romania has surprisingly experienced the emergence of a green economy discourse separate from sustainable development and a range of green economy initiatives in niche sectors and across different levels of government, with a peak of activity in 2016-2017. The chapter links this to the agenda of a technocratic caretaker Government, as well as the emergence of subnational actors from the environmental movement and local and regional level, that was able to successfully engage in green economy initiatives, bypassing the national government level. Using the example of the renewable energy sector, this chapter shows that significant growth in this area usually associated with the green economy, does not necessarily ensure either sustained or green practices.

Keywords

green economysustainable developmentrenewable energymulti-level governance.
Type
Chapter
Information
Emerging Governance of a Green Economy
Cases of European Implementation
 , pp. 74 - 89
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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