socialdemocracyandecologicalmodernization.docVIP

Social Democracy and Ecological Modernization: Swedish Lessons for a Green Industrial Policy BRENDAN HALEY June 7th, 2005 A Major Paper submitted to the Faculty of Environmental Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Environmental Studies York University Ontario, Canada ________________________ ________________________ Brendan Haley Dr. Roger Keil (student) (supervisor) Abstract This paper studies a Swedish case of social democratic green industrial policy. Sweden presents a country that is often seen as a ‘model’ social democracy and a country with progressive environmental policy. The current social democratic administration, under Prime Minister, G?ran Persson has advocated a gr?na folkhemmet (green welfare state) as a new and noble mission for Swedish social democracy. Ecological modernization is used as a theoretical approach to analyze the discursive construction of the gr?na folkhemmet and to evaluate the outcomes of Swedish green industrial policy. Ecological modernization is presented as a discourse that can take multiple forms. It can interact with social democracy in such a way that ecological rationalities and traditional goals of social democracy related to welfare, power, equality and solidarity are strengthened or it can provide a boon to neo-liberalism by keeping social democracy on its, present, defensive tract. The Local Investment Program is the major policy studied. It was Sweden’s largest environmental investment initiative, providing grants to municipalities for sustainable development projects. This study examines how a traditional social democratic policy approach and Sweden’s social democratic institutions contributed to achieving goals related to environmental equality, economic competitiveness and innovation. The success of the program is partly related to Sweden’s strong support for ecological criteria and the strength of the public sector.