Mikael Klintman
Professor
The institutionalisation of corporate action on climate change in the Swedish electricity industry
Author
Summary, in English
This thesis utilises qualitative methods to examine what drives /
impedes corporate action on climate change in the Swedish
electricity industry. Reasoning from new institutional theory, this
thesis examines the role of institutional logics as a determinant of
corporate actions. Institutional logics are shared cognitively
institutionalised structures that are thought to limit individuals’
capacity for free and autonomous action. Theoretically the thesis
examines the concept of agency vis-à-vis the ability of organisational
actors to perform institutional work on institutional logics.
The thesis shows that public policy is the most important driver of
corporate action on climate change from a company perspective,
despite the fact that Swedish electricity companies operate in a
liberalised market context. It also shows that corporate action on
climate change is part of a broader institutional change project that
seeks to bring about a transition to more sustainable means of
electricity production. The change project is part of a programme of
ecological modernisation, which is described here as a hybrid logic
in that it combines traditional institutional orders such as
government, the private sector and science and technology as a
means to mitigate transboundary environmental problems. The thesis
concludes that a range of organisational actors collectively
participate in the ongoing modification and transformation of the
hybrid ecological modernisation logic via a process of
communicative interaction. The thesis analyses these findings in
terms of their implications for Swedish research policy.
impedes corporate action on climate change in the Swedish
electricity industry. Reasoning from new institutional theory, this
thesis examines the role of institutional logics as a determinant of
corporate actions. Institutional logics are shared cognitively
institutionalised structures that are thought to limit individuals’
capacity for free and autonomous action. Theoretically the thesis
examines the concept of agency vis-à-vis the ability of organisational
actors to perform institutional work on institutional logics.
The thesis shows that public policy is the most important driver of
corporate action on climate change from a company perspective,
despite the fact that Swedish electricity companies operate in a
liberalised market context. It also shows that corporate action on
climate change is part of a broader institutional change project that
seeks to bring about a transition to more sustainable means of
electricity production. The change project is part of a programme of
ecological modernisation, which is described here as a hybrid logic
in that it combines traditional institutional orders such as
government, the private sector and science and technology as a
means to mitigate transboundary environmental problems. The thesis
concludes that a range of organisational actors collectively
participate in the ongoing modification and transformation of the
hybrid ecological modernisation logic via a process of
communicative interaction. The thesis analyses these findings in
terms of their implications for Swedish research policy.
Department/s
- Research Policy Institute (RPI)
Publishing year
2011
Language
English
Document type
Dissertation
Topic
- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Status
Published
Supervisor
- Merle Jacob
- Mikael Klintman
- Eva Lövbrand
Defence date
23 September 2011
Defence time
10:00
Defence place
MNO Huset, Sal O104, Sölvegatan 16, Lund
Opponent
- Volker Hoffmann