A3 Book section, Chapters in research books
‘Reaching Maturity’ or ‘Selling Out’? : The Idea of Green Growth in Finnish Green Party Environmental Discourses 1988–1995 (2023)

Matero, R.-M. (2023). ‘Reaching Maturity’ or ‘Selling Out’? : The Idea of Green Growth in Finnish Green Party Environmental Discourses 1988–1995. In V. Pál, T. Räsänen, & M. Saikku (Eds.), Green Development or Greenwashing? : Environmental Histories of Finland (pp. 31-47). White Horse Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.7193881.7

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Matero, Risto-Matti

Parent publication: Green Development or Greenwashing? : Environmental Histories of Finland

Parent publication editors: Pál, Viktor; Räsänen, Tuomas; Saikku, Mikko

ISBN:  978-1-912186-76-1

eISBN: 978-1-912186-77-8

Publication year: 2023

Pages range: 31-47

Number of pages in the book: 239

Publisher: White Horse Press

Place of Publication: Winwick

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

Persistent website address: https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.7193881.7

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/89651

Abstract

Over the past decades, major shifts have taken place in public environmental discourses transnationally, of which the Finnish Green party provides an illustrative example. Green parties were formed throughout Europe to represent radical alternative social movements and their growth-critical ideals. By the turn of the millennium, however, earlier radicalism was transformed into moderate ideals of green growth. This chapter demonstrates how green growth ideals were used as a political tool by the Finnish Green Party to better adapt to a free market political system, as well as some of the premises with which this turn was implemented. As a political act, the goal of implementing green growth ideals was to be more efficient within the prevailing political system. The need for such pragmatism can be explained with William Connolly’s framework of cultural belonging: in order to act meaningfully, one needs to adapt to the premises of the culture one operates in, causing a challenge for paradigm-shifting environmentalism to become implemented politically. The case of Finnish Green party ideological development provides an example of this transnational phenomenon.

Keywords: environmental policy; Green parties; green movement; economic growth; sustainable development; political systems; environmental protection; radicalism; discourse

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2023

JUFO rating: 1