Pathways to Sustainable Welfare
Inertia, Emergence and Transformation in Swedish Cities
By Kajsa Emilsson, Martin Fritz, Roger Hildingsson, Håkan Johansson, Jamil Khan and Max Koch
Published
Feb 1, 2025Page count
192 pagesISBN
978-1447372585Dimensions
203 x 127 mmImprint
Policy PressPublished
Feb 1, 2025Page count
192 pagesISBN
978-1447372592Dimensions
203 x 127 mmImprint
Policy Press
Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.
Pathways to Sustainable Welfare critically examines how cities can address the dual challenges of climate change and sustainability while ensuring the welfare of their populations.
Focused on three Swedish cities, it explores the integration of environmental and welfare concerns in local policies, urban movements and public opinions. Based on theories of inertia, emergence and transformation, it identifies factors driving or obstructing sustainable welfare advancements.
This book is a crucial resource for scholars interested in sustainable transformation, urban governance and social policy. It offers frameworks and empirical evidence relevant to academics, policymakers and practitioners seeking to understand and engage in urban sustainable welfare development.
Kajsa Emilsson is a researcher and Senior Lecturer at the School of Social Work at Lund University. She studies public attitudes, political participation, and the role of economic elites in sustainable welfare.
Martin Fritz is head of the junior research group “Mentalities in Flux (flumen)” at Friedrich Schiller University of Jena. His research includes eco-social attitudes, sustainable welfare and socio-structural analyses.
Roger Hildingsson is Senior Researcher in Political Science at Lund University. He studies environmental politics, sustainability governance and climate change including studies of industrial decarbonisation, urban sustainability and climate futures.
Håkan Johansson is Professor of Social Work at Lund University. His research addresses urban social and environmental movements and civil society organisations, including the study of civil society elites.
Jamil Khan is Associate Professor in Environmental and Energy Systems Studies at Lund University. His research includes urban climate governance, climate policy analysis and eco-social integration.
Max Koch is Professor of Social Policy and Sustainability at the School of Social Work at Lund University. His research addresses the social and environmental implications of capitalist development. He has published widely on sustainable welfare and degrowth.
1. Introduction
2. Theories of Stability and Change
3. The Site of Ideas: Attitudes to Sustainable Welfare
4. The Site of Local Government: Eco-Social Policy Integration
5. The Site of Mobilization: Movements and Activism
6. Transformative Change to Sustainable Welfare: Concluding Remarks
