Ecological modernization as social theory

Abstract

In this paper I examine some of the reasons for and implications of the ascendance of ecological modernization thought. I stress that its rapid rise to prominence is not because it is a well-developed and highly-codified social theory, but rather because it accords particularly well with a number of intellectual and broader political–economic factors, many of which lie outside the realms of sociology and environmental sociology. I suggest that while ecological modernization is indistinct as a social theory its basic logic suggests two points. First, the most sophisticated versions of ecological modernization revolve around the notion that political processes and practices are particularly critical in enabling ecological phenomena to be “ ‘moved into’ the modernization process” (Mol, A.P.J., 1995. The Refinement of Production. Van Arkel, Utrecht, p. 28). Thus, a full-blown theory of ecological modernization must ultimately be a theory of politics and the state. Second, the logic of ecological modernization theory suggests that it has very close affinities to several related literatures – particularly embedded autonomy, civil society, and state-society synergy theories in political sociology – which have not yet been incorporated into the ecological modernization literature. I conclude by arguing that ecological modernization can benefit by bringing these related – and, for that matter, more powerful – theories into its fold.