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Environmental Transformation of the State: The USA, Norway, Germany and the UK
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Environmental Transformation of the State: The USA, Norway, Germany and the UK

John S. Dryzek, Christian Hunold, David Schlosberg, David Downes and Hans-Kristian Hernes
Political studies, v 50(4), pp 659-682
Sep 2002

Abstract

Modern states underwent two major transformations that produced first, the liberal capitalist state and second, the welfare state. Each was accompanied by the migration of a previously confrontational movement into the core of the state. In the creation of the liberal capitalist state, the bourgeoisie could harmonize with the state's emerging interest in economic growth. In the creation of the welfare state, the organized working class could harmonize with the state's emerging interest in legitimating the political economy by curbing capitalism's instability and inequality. We show that environmental conservation could now emerge as a core state interest, growing out of these established economic and legitimation imperatives. This examination is grounded in a comparative historical study of four countries: the USA, Norway, Germany, and the UK, each of which exemplifies a particular kind of interest representation. We show why the USA was an environmental pioneer around 1970, why it was then eclipsed by Norway, and why Germany now leads in addressing environmental concerns.

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108 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
#7 Affordable and Clean Energy
#13 Climate Action

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
International Relations
Political Science
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