The green economy and the knowledge economy: exploring the interface

UK, along with many other developed countries, is now considered to be primarily a knowledge economy. According to this model, future prosperity will depend on the development of knowledge-intensive, high value-added economic activities, and on a highly skilled workforce. At the same time, the development of the green economy has recently moved towards the centre of political discourse, stimulated by current economic and environmental crises. A number of parallels are evident between the concepts of the knowledge economy and the green economy: both are currently the focus of government policy initiatives, but both are characterised by uncertainty regarding how they should be defined and implemented. This paper first examines these definitions, and then explores their potential interface. Lessons are identified for development of the green economy from recent research into the functioning of the knowledge economy. This reflects the reality that in countries such as UK, development of a green economy will largely represent the greening of the knowledge economy. How this might be achieved in practice is explored with reference to a case study currently underway in the county of Dorset, England.