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Overview
Both eco-authoritarian and democratic scholars have claimed that a liberal democracy cannot pay due attention to the environment. However, such claims call for profound analysis. Jagers argues that much in the debate on liberal democracy and environmental concern can be more stringently elaborated. For instance, there has been a tendency to compound philosophical and institutional objections against liberal democracy. Often it is unclear what the critical voices actually mean when they speak of liberal democracy. In addition, the compatibility between specific forms of liberal democracy and sustainable development has not been thoroughly investigated. Most studies have been limited to comparing liberal and ecological values, or ecological values and liberal institutions. To avoid many of these shortcomings, this study analyzes the compatibility between sustainable development policies and liberal democracy by combining political theory and resource scenarios based on environmental science.
Synopsis
Both eco-authoritarian and democratic scholars have claimed that a liberal democracy cannot pay due attention to the environment. However, such claims call for profound analysis. Jagers argues that much in the debate on liberal democracy and environmental concern can be more stringently elaborated. For instance, there has been a tendency to compound philosophical and institutional objections against liberal democracy. Often it is unclear what the critical voices actually mean when they speak of liberal democracy. In addition, the compatibility between specific forms of liberal democracy and sustainable development has not been thoroughly investigated. Most studies have been limited to comparing liberal and ecological values, or ecological values and liberal institutions. To avoid many of these shortcomings, this study analyzes the compatibility between sustainable development policies and liberal democracy by combining political theory and resource scenarios based on environmental science.
About the Author:
Sverker C. Jagers is a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Goteborg University
Editorials
Choice
After exploring various dimensions of sustainability and establishing criteria to determine whether a given political system is logically compatible with them, Jagers concludes that developmental liberal democracies have more inherent potential for sustainability then their protective counterparts....[Jagers'] argument is thorough, rigorous, and well-informed. Summing Up: RECOMMENDED. Graduate Students and faculty.— Sandra K. Hinchman, St. Lawrence University