Between Growth-fetishism and Green Recovery

Abstract

This paper posits that the choices that global economies are faced with for post-pandemic development range between the extremes of growth-fetishism and green recovery. The paper highlights that green recovery and the green transition have different connotations in different parts of the world, leading to a huge divergence in their delineations across the Global North and South. The paper further argues that models of degrowth, which emphasize contraction of economic activities for the cause of nature, cannot be applied in large parts of the developing world. The challenge for a developing nation like India is to understand how and where it can position itself in this gamut of developmental paradigms that range between growth-fetishism and green recovery. The paper proposes that Indian green recovery must be based on the Sustainable Development Goals, hinging on two key elements...