Policy Paper
A New Hope: The role and influence of civil society in the return of the environmental state
Author:
Lukas Andraschko
London school of Economics and Political Science, GB
About Lukas
MSc in International Relations, Class of 2022,
The London School of Economics and Political Science
Abstract
A trend has recently sprung up among several
European countries: adopting climate laws to deal with
the current climate crisis. Comparing these laws, it seems
as though there are vast differences between the levels of
commitment to take climate action. In particular, one case
stands out significantly as it is much more ambitious in
many regards: The Danish Climate Act of 2019.
This case is unique because Danish civil society was
heavily involved in creating the policy outcome. Thus,
with this paper, I explore the role of non-state actors on
the normative shifts experienced by countries and civil
society regarding CC. Accordingly, the purpose of this
paper is to answer the following puzzle: What is the role
and influence of the Danish climate movement – posing
as norm entrepreneurs – in the adoption of Denmark’s
Climate Act?
Using qualitative semi-structured expert interviews,
I identify two significant explanatory variables likely to
have resulted in the adoption of Denmark’s climate law.
The first variable concentrates on structural conditions.
The structural conditions further facilitate the second
key finding of this research project, which argues that
the affective character of the social mobilization around
the cause, triggered by the strategic agency of the Danish
climate movement has led to the adoption of Denmark’s
Climate Act
How to Cite:
Andraschko, L., 2022. A New Hope: The role and influence of civil society in the return of the environmental state. The Public Sphere: Journal of Public Policy, 10(1).
Published on
20 Apr 2022.
Peer Reviewed
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