A framework for Greening Universities in Knowledge Based Economy, Botswana

Abstract

Developmental activities that were carried out since the industrial revolution have resulted in an unsustainable world. The adverse impact of unsustainability has led to a global response consensus for a sustainable globe codified as Millennium Development Goals, subsequently the 2030 Agenda for 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Climate Agreement. Under these universal packages, economies around the world have put together programs towards attaining sustainability goals. In this endeavor, Botswana as an economy operates under the neo-classical economic model. The neo-classical economic theories founded on profit maximization do not recognize sustainability beyond the market forces. Knowledge-Based Economies (KBEs) enable bridging the gap by endogenous factors such as knowledge and innovation, technology, and human capital. Human capital needed for sustainable development means ethical human capital. Hence, Botswana now steers the economy as a Knowledge-Based Economy (KBE) through Botswana Vision 2036. It provides, among other things, that Botswana endures achieving prosperity of all generations by balancing three pillars of sustainability. The knowledge and innovation meant for sustainability by Botswana Vision 2036 are branded as green knowledge and innovation/ethical human capital, blended with the natural system as modeled by the Quintuple Helix Model of Innovation. However, due to bureaucratism, rationalism, myths and ceremonies, isomorphism, and legitimacy, conventional universities in Botswana produce knowledge and innovation in the sense of traditional disciplinary knowledge, which would not be adequate to meet the goals of sustainable development although new institutional logics and agency of actors support green knowledge and innovation. Hence, this study aims to ascertain a complete set of requisites for greening a university and integrate them pragmatically to be used by universities as a blueprint to be a green university. Such a blueprint supports the Botswana Vision 2036 as stipulated that the vision identifies the necessity of creating a conducive environment by policy, institutional, and legal and regulatory framework to place adequate structures and resources for sustainable development. The multi-method qualitative exploratory and descriptive research founded on grounded theory were used as strategies of inquiry under an interpretivist approach to reach the study aim.

The research inquiry was first carried out as an exploratory research followed by a descriptive research. The exploratory research is warranted in this research because the study’s scope is new or unclear in the beginning of the research. Another aspect is that other researchers have not adequately explored the scope of the research. For example, there is an incomplete description of a green university and identify a green university as one principle and three dimensions. The one principle that they refer to the concept of the green university, and the three dimensions refer to (i) Green education (teaching/curriculum), (ii) Green research, and (iii) Green campus. Consequently, this study intends to make clear the blurred areas of the green university. Hence, exploratory research began collecting qualitative data from documents, already published multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research articles related to the green university. Secondary data from a sample of 97 research articles subject to the saturation point were collected first. After the axial coding, document analysis founded on grounded theory enabled theory development by abduction. Nine requisites of the green university were found as theory. After the exploratory research, the descriptive research began with the theory developed in the exploratory research. The descriptive research describes the issues defined in the exploratory research. Consequently, the theory developed in the exploratory research was used as a priori codes to collect interview data. A sample of 57 participants subjected to saturation point from professors, senior lecturers, academic managers, non-academic managers, and undergraduate and graduate students was used to collect data. After that, axial coding thematic analysis assisted with grounded theory enabled the development of further theory by abduction. Finally, the descriptive research found a model; how a green university produces green knowledge and innovation. The model of green university developed as a system in this study can be adopted by the conventional universities. They can transform their universities into green universities, producing green knowledge and innovation in the mainstream knowledge production process. Such a process results in providing benefits to stakeholders of the university at the micro-level. At the macro level, the green knowledge and innovation so created would enter the main circulation flow. After that, it blends with the other knowledge systems, namely, the natural environment of society, economic system, media-based and culture-based public and civil society, and political system continuously developing in a never-ending process until sustainable development is achieved for all beings (utopia) under prudential anthropocentrism.