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- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Framing, debating and standardising "natural food" in two different political contexts : Sweden and the U.S.
- 2003
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Food labelling has been introduced in several countries as a tool for consumer swho want to make reflexive and responsible choices. This is connected to increased worries and concerns about environmental, ethical, and health-related problems caused by production and consumption. Organic food is interpreted by many as a good solution to such problems. An international organic movement has been quite successful in promoting the organic industry and trade, as well as in establishing criteria for what should count as “organic.” However, there is considerable variation across countries as to how organic food principles and labelling standards are debated and decided.This report examines and compares debates and standardisation of organic food and agriculture in Sweden and the U.S. Standardisation of organic food and agriculture is carried out in both countries, but in different ways. In Sweden a private organisation (KRAV) - consisting of NGOs, associations for conventional and organic farmers, and the food industry - has been rather successful in promoting organic food labelling as an eco-label. KRAV has developed a complementary position vis-à-vis the state and the regulatory framework in the EU. In the U.S., the Federal Government controls standardisation. The Government frames the label as a “marketing label,” and rejects the idea that organic food production would have relative advantages to the environment, health or food quality. This type of framing is separated from the ones created by organic constituencies, leading to deeper controversies than in Sweden.In this paper we compare the organic standardisation processes against thedifferent political and regulatory backgrounds in these countries. Organisationalprocesses behind food labelling are examined; e.g. who are participating in which forms? The paper pays particular attention to how actors frame organic food and agriculture. We use framing theory for investigating how actors develop ideas about what they are doing and how they are forming coalitions. This body of literature is also used for illuminating the compromises that lie behind standardisation of organic food.In the concluding section we discuss some reasons why it has been easier in Sweden to carry on standardisation. Still, it is also important to pay attention to some possible negative consequences of the more consensus-oriented debate climate in Sweden
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| 2. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Political Consumerism : its motivations, power, and conditions in the Nordic countries and elsewhere : Proceedings from the 2nd International Seminar on Political Consumerism, Oslo August 26-29, 2004
- 2005
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The concept of political consumerism draws on the observation that consumer choice and the rising politics of products is an increasingly important form of political participation, especially with regard to such issues as human rights, animal rights, global solidarity and environmental responsibility. The 2nd International Seminar on Political Consumerism was arranged to enhance our knowledge about political consumerism. This report includes revised versions of the papers that were presented and discussed at the seminar. Scholars from various disciplines presented papers that discussed and analyzed such topics as the characteristics of (especially Nordic) political consumers and their motivations to express their political concerns through market channels, how consumer power and individual choice can be linked to public influence, political and market conditions for the success, effectiveness, or failure of political consumerism as a regulatory tool, and the framing, mobilization, and organizational processes behind political consumerism
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| 6. |
- Khan, Jamil, et al.
(författare)
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Vägval 2050: Styrningsutmaningar och förändringsstrategier för en omställning till ett kolsnålt samhälle
- 2011
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Today there are climate policy targets within the EU and Sweden about limiting global warming and drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In order to stay within the goal of a global warming of less than 2 ºC, the industrialised countries should decrease their emissions by 80-95 % in 2050, and bring them down to zero in the longer run. Scenario studies indicate that this is possible to achieve and the main technological alternatives are known. But rapid technical development and large behavioural changes do not happen by themselves and the transition to a low-carbon society is principally a political challenge which demands new ways of thinking about societal steering and governance. In this report a broad group of researchers from different scientific disciplines, who are active within the research programme LETS 2050, analyse the role of governance for a low-carbon transition. Important governance challenges and policy choices in a variety of sectors are discussed. The overarching question is: How can a low-carbon transition be governed effectively in ways that are acceptable for different actors and interests and for society at large? In the report we relate to existing Swedish scenario studies which have identified how Sweden can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In nine chapters the associated governance challenges are studied for different sectors and technologies. The topics that are studied are bioenergy, wind power, energy efficient houses, decarbonisation of industry, freight transport, future energy carriers in the transport sector, planning for reduced transport and the emergence of climate reflective citizens. The time horizon of the report is 2050 and beyond which means that we analyse political choices for a long term low-carbon transition. At the same time we focus on the path to get there, and on what needs to be done here and now in order to move society in the direction of the long-term goal. Governing a low-carbon transition will require thoroughgoing policy changes at different levels. In this report the need for changes are analysed at (i) the policy level (policy instruments, measures, resources), (ii) the institutional level (legislation, organisational structures) and (iii) the paradigm level (basic norms, discourses, values). In the different chapters, specific recommendations are made regarding the need for change and the policy choices that have to be made. At the policy level a recurring theme is that general policy instruments to increase the price of carbon, through e.g. carbon taxes or emission trading (e.g. EU ETS), should be a main strategy in a transition to a low-carbon society. These policy instruments increase the attractiveness of lowcarbon technologies and behaviour, while they remain neutral in the sense that they do not dictate exactly what technology or measure that should be used. However, general policy instruments do not provide the whole solution and, for different reasons, they need to be complemented by other instruments and measures. For successful and long-term climate governance there is a need to improve the development and deployment of so called “second best” policy strategies and instruments. In the report a number of specific policy instruments that would be relevant today are discussed. For bioenergy and off-shore wind power, policy instruments to support research, demonstration and introduction of new technologies, need to be considered. For energy efficient buildings, a combination of stricter regulation and initiatives to foster voluntary co-operation and technology diffusion would be an important complement to economic incentives. Strategic public investment in infrastructure is a particularly important measure to push the transport sector in the direction of a transition. Complementary policy instruments can also be needed to handle the effects of a more ambitious climate policy and here bioenergy serves as an example. An increased use of the bioenergy resource will lead to potential conflicts with other uses (wood, food production) as well as other environmental goals (biodiversity, sustainable forests). For this reason there is a need for a continuous development of policy instruments and regulations to avoid the negative consequences of an increased bioenergy use. This report shows that while new, purposeful policy instruments certainly are necessary, they are not sufficient to promote and support a low-carbon transition. In many areas there is also need for institutional changes and reforms, e.g. changes in legislation and norm systems or adjustments in how society is organised. The lack of environmental competence and knowledge among the actors in the building sector is identified as an important impediment to more energy efficient buildings. Energy efficient solutions are seldom prioritised when new buildings are planned and old buildings are renovated, and a major educational reform that covers all relevant actors would therefore be an important measure. The large need for technological development also calls for institutional change, which is discussed in the chapters on basic industry and on new energy carriers in the transport sector. Two questions are critical. First, technological development and innovation are international, or even global, processes and it is not easy to decide which role Sweden can and should play. Second, there are major uncertainties as to which technologies will be successful, and some investments may therefore lead to poor results. This puts requirements on flexible governance arrangements which have the capacity to support promising technologies, but also to change or remove support when it is no longer motivated. Technological support is necessary in all phases of the innovation process, not only in basic research but also in diffusion and commercialisation. In another chapter institutional measures that might strengthen the capacity to reduce transport demand through urban and regional planning are discussed, for instance an increased integration of transport and land-use planning and new types of network and knowledge building. The basic goal would be reforms that reward planning measures that contribute to increased sustainability of transport. Stricter regulation and economic incentives to more sustainable plans are two possible measures. The third level in the framework is also the most evasive, but nevertheless central in order to understand the preconditions for political decisions and policy choices. Here we are dealing with the need for changes in policy paradigms, or basic perspectives and values, which are necessary to make policy- and institutional reforms possible in the first place. The importance of paradigms is particularly visible in the transport sector. Simply put, there are two main strategies to reduce the emissions of the transport sector. One is to develop new technology and make existing technology more efficient. The other is to reduce transport volumes and increase modal shift to low carbon transport modes. The most robust option would be to combine the two strategies and both develop new technology and at the same time find ways to break the trend of increasing transport volumes. In the analysis of transport and urban planning it is recognized that the transport policy goals state that accessibility, and not mobility, should be the guiding principle. While this opens up the possibility to plan for decreased transport demand, planning practice at all levels continues to be dominated by a mobility paradigm, when e.g. new residential areas are planned. In two of the chapters in the book, an analysis is made of how an accessibility paradigm could be strengthened by an active urban and regional planning, and by the emergence of an increased climate reflection among citizens which over time might transcend from being something marginal to become an established norm. In the conclusions of the report five key issues are highlighted, critically important to reflect upon in order to develop effective governance of the transition to a low-carbon society. First, the state needs to show stronger leadership and the on-going process on a Swedish low-carbon roadmap could be a step in that direction. One of the most important tasks for the state is to provide direction and establish a political vision that societal actors can agree upon. This needs to be backed up by policy measures to steer and organise the implementation and to generate credibility and create legitimacy for the long-term transition. There is a long tradition of policy instruments and measures to fall back upon, which have made Sweden a pioneer in climate policy. But for the coming transition challenge, more is needed. One area, in which the state could become more active, is in its support to the development of new technology, both through R&D, diffusion policies and investments in supporting infrastructure. Another measure is to upgrade the role of planning as a steering mechanism for the transition. Second, it is important to bear in mind that Sweden is dependent on the outside world for an effective climate policy, not the least in relation to the EU. The dependence is however not the same in all sectors. For wind power, bioenergy and energy efficiency in buildings, Sweden can to a large extent decide over its own development. Here, the challenges are rather to put the right policy instruments in place, to co-ordinate and give incentives to key actors, and to make necessary changes in legislation and planning systems. In other areas, such as the basic industry and transport, the international dependence is higher, due to global trends, international competitiveness and technical development. Still there are many things that can be done domestically to facilitate and prepare for a transition. For industry it is e.g. important to develop visions and strategies for how emissions can be reduced while maintaining
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| 7. |
- Klintman, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Bioenergi för uppvärmning - Hushållens perspektiv
- 2003
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Households base their choices of heating systems on subjectively dependent conceptions of heating sources, rather than on an understanding of a complex reality. Similar to other agents in society, households need to construct simplified frames to be able to make their choices possible to manage. Using in-depth interviews with households in Småland (in Sweden) with a few comparisons from Massachusetts (in the USA), the study has identified a number of frames through which households simplify the financial, practical and ecolological complexities of various heating systems. The households have been sampled strategically in order to generate a broad range of household responses. Various heating systems – based on bioenergi, electricity, and fossil fuels – are covered in the study. Objective household categories (e.g., age, generation, housing type or size), frequently covered in previous studies, have a weak connection to choices of energy systems. Instead, this study has elaborated on four subjective household categories more closely correlated with energy system choices: the energy implementors, the planners, the visionaries, and the resigned. The report argues that an understanding of subjective household categories and frame constructions are useful as various energy actors try to collaborate with households toward different heating systems. This understanding is especially important for the transition to and maintenance of bioenergy solutions. However, it is crucial that such collaboration not be reduced to “learning about misunderstandings and knowledge gaps among households in order to correct them.” Rather, the type of collaboration that we call for concern taking into account, and learning from, various types of priorities and experiences which are reflected in the frame constructions among the household categories.
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| 8. |
- Klintman, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Erfarenheter av vindkraftsetablering: Förankring, acceptans och motstånd.
- 2008
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Many politicians and researchers perceive wind power as an important part of future energy supply, nationally and globally. However, it has turned out to be problematic to expand wind power in the pace necessary to meet the national and international goals about wind power expansion. A significant challenge concerns the social and policy-related processes surrounding the establishment of wind power in local regions. Depending on how these processes are designed and carried through, the result may become anything from a well-supported development in the local area to a heavily criticized and socially disintegrating process, where the wind power projects sometimes have to be cancelled. Previous research on wind power establishments has typically been local in scope. Moreover, cross-nationally comparative overviews of local wind power projects are rare. In the few studies that have been done, only two countries, or a few establishments have been examined. In this report, the experiences are collected and analysed from a broad range of local processes of wind power planning and establishments throughout Europe. The aim of the report is to identify what characterizes more – as well as less – efficient and “well-anchored” planning and establishing processes. The goal is to provide increased knowledge about how the actors involved may design and carry through the planning and establishment in ways that resonate with the (often changing) concerns and interests of the local population throughout the process. As a background to the local comparisons, the report examines more general, national tendencies. In certain countries, the development and expansion of wind power has been far more difficult and slow than in others. Unsurprisingly, the report indicates strong connections between the degree of successful wind power development and the degree of support among the public. Yet, the bases for public support vary. In wind power projects, the likelihood of public opposition is high. The attitudes to specific wind power prospects are dependent on local values, such as appreciation of nature, and local views on the relation between “untouched” nature, recreation and tourism. Still, we would like to emphasize that the level of acceptance differs substantially across countries and across local regions, differences that cannot be directly tied to the proportion of the landscape that has been used for wind power establishments. The level of acceptance is rather connected to a range of factors that concern the organizing, public participation, decision-making, and the economy. The report suggests strategies that can be used in order to acknowledge wind power opposition, particularly strategies based on open dialogue, genuine public participation, but also financial benefits, such as co-ownership of wind power plants, among the local community. It stands clear that wind power projects should not be forced upon a local community by an external actor. This is not only a moral or democratic issue. If the wind power establishment is to work on a long-term basis, and if it is to stimulate further establishments in other local areas, it is necessary that the process be based on open and straight dialogue with local actors, particularly with negative groups. The report distinguishes four possible situations related to wind power planning. In the first situation, the wind power plant is built, and the population is positive to wind power and to the project. This process is characterized by local support, and the possibilities for developing wind power further in the area are good. The second situation is in the report called resignation. This situation means that the wind power plant is built, although the local public remains negative. To be sure, wind power actors may perceive this as positive in the sense the project is completed, as is the share of renewable energy. Yet, the negative or resigned attitude among the local public constitutes a significant risk that the opposition may grow more powerful and more categorical against wind power in the local region. In the third situation, there is a high acceptance of wind power among the local population, although other obstacles contribute to the cancelling of the wind power project. Here, there is a social potential for wind power establishments, but it may require a different strategy and planning process, or modifications at the policy level. The fourth and last situation, which we call conflict and cancellation, is when the protests of the local population are so powerful that the opportunities for developing wind power in the local area are highly limited during the near future. In the report, these four situations are analyzed, through concrete European examples, and through elucidations of how wind power actors may have an impact on the outcome. Very roughly, and pulled out of context, here follow certain recommendations to wind power actors. In order to make use of these recommendations, and to adapt them to various types of wind power projects, the reader will need to consult the report as a whole. • Inform yourself about the entire range of various local groups’ attitudes to the plans for establishing local wind power; also inform yourself about what views are represented by the respective groups and what knowledge they have about wind power. • Regard the local attitudes and engagement as a changeable process. Positive viewpoints should be taken care of, and an initially negative viewpoint may become a positive engagement. • Acquire thorough knowledge about the history, culture and current challenges of the local society, in order to identify local opportunities that can be tied to the wind power project. • Do not invite the affected local public to “participatory meetings” if there is no real room for their influencing the outcome. • Consider alternative types of financial participation that only require the local population to make small investments.
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| 9. |
- Klintman, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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The role of epistemic signalling in transdisciplinary knowledge production : Examples from the field of sustainable water management
- 2020
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The number of arrangements where academia collaborates with governmental andnongovernmental organisations, as well as industries, have increased over the last decades.While research has focused on whether knowledge produced in such collaborations is genuinelyinfluenced by others than the ‘experts’, or those with the highest status and power, this reportexplores the influence of framings and re-framings of what the participants and society shouldperceive as the nature of knowledge: epistemology. We analyse the framings of epistemologythrough the concept ‘epistemic signalling’. Epistemic signalling refers to communication orrule-making that indicates what type(s) of knowledge is considered relevant, valuable or usefulin knowledge collaboration. Empirically we draw on two examples of transdisciplinarycollaborations in the field of water management (one from the UK and one from the US). Indepthinterviews were combined with document analysis.We have analysed three themes of epistemic signalling that we suggest influence knowledgecollaborations. The first one concerns how the form and theme of the collaboration weredecided upon and is based on Arnstein’s (1969) ladder of participation. The second refers towhat type(s) of participants were considered suitable – as for example experts or lay people.Here we use the framework of aggregate (bargaining-oriented) versus integrative (deliberative)processes of knowledge collaboration in our analysis. The third and last theme concerns whatis perceived as valuable and successful in the collaborations, something that we discuss in termsof procedural and epistemic virtues of knowledge collaborations.The epistemology of organisations and participants in knowledge collaborations ought to be adistinct subject of open discussions from the earliest planning stage and onwards. It is easy toassume that epistemic signalling would be esoteric parts of practical, collaborative knowledgeproduction. To the contrary, open epistemological reflections may help highlight situationswhere hierarchies turn out to be remains of routines inconsistent with new goals of moreprofound exchange of practical and scientific knowledge. In such cases, the epistemologiesneed to be revised to better fit the new goals.
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