Ecological Modernisation and ‘Realpolitik’: Ideas, Interests and Institutions

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship between ecological modernisation ideas, policy formulation and implementation, using Norwegian climate policy and the carbon tax as the empirical case. It is argued that although ideas to a considerable extent can contribute to our understanding of the development of environmental policy in general, institutional and interest explanations seem to be more relevant in explaining the lack of success that can be observed in attempts to implement the ideas of ecological modernisation. This explanatory failure must also be related to assumptions underlying general ideas of ecological modernisation which can be questioned. The first concerns the distributional conflicts underlying many environmental policy issues which are easily forgotten under the consensus‐oriented assumptions of positive‐sum games. The second is the strong institutional interests to be observed that question the managerial assumptions underlying ecological modernisation concerning the capacity of the institutional system to implement an integrated approach.