Video: Can developmental environmentalism be democratic?
Seminar 5: Can developmental environmentalism be democratic?
The challenges of democratic regimes to nudge or coerce economic and political elites who benefit from fossil fuel production systems has revived interests in authoritarian environmentalism as a credible alternative. However, it is not clear that democratic or authoritarian political regimes are the key variable. Coining the term Developmental Environmentalism, scholars of China and South Korea show that the pursuit by governments in these countries to move away from fossil fuels has been driven by a combination of the need to find new growth drivers and be first movers in new technologies with geopolitical issues of dependence on oil imports and political legitimacy problems linked to pollution from fossil fuels. Thus, developmental environmentalism seems to be driven by political legitimacy which defies categorization as democratic or authoritarian. The panelists will debate these issues from the perspective of Europe and Asia.
Participants:
- Donato di Carlo, London School of Economics and Political Science
- Elizabeth Thurbon, UNSW Sydney (joining online)
- Cornel Ban, Copenhagen Business School
- Moderator: Lindsay Whitfield, Copenhagen Business School
Watch the recording here:
