The Sustainable Society in Swedish Politics. Renewal and Continuity

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study how the ideas of a sustainable society have developed and adapted to Swedish politics. It starts with the assumption that new ideas have a greater possibility to make a difference if they adapt to the political culture, and if important actors make the ideas their own. This issue is studied for the years 1988-2004. One conclusion is that social democratic welfare ideology has given its imprint in the rhetoric of a sustainable society. Another conclusion is that the ideas has been obtained in party ideology from left to right and been adapted to traditional ideological differences. That is true not least for the means: state or market, regulation or competition, central or local, experts or democracy etc. On the surface the sustainable society could be seen as a common vision for the future but in politics on party level it is a controversial issue.sustainable society; Swedish politics