Greening recovery – Overcoming policy incoherence for sustainability transformations

Abstract

Policy coherence is crucial in the 2030 Agenda's transformative ambitions and heralded as of paramount importance to ensure the successful implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and climate policy targets. Despite political efforts to achieve policy coherence, apparent trade-offs and goal conflicts have emergedeven in a proclaimed 'front-runner' country like Sweden. This paper examines the role of ideas in proposing and legitimising policy options and achieving policy coherence in the light of the Swedish recovery debate in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic.Ideas of a green economic recovery put forward in the public debate are examined through thematic text and frame analysis. We show that ideas of a green transition, boosted by economic recovery spending, draw on a synergistic frame in combining social, environmental, and economic policy options, carrying a potential for coherency.However, the absence of a discussion on power, as in who stands to gain what under which circumstances, coupled with an inherent understanding of a temporal hierarchy of policy priorities does not only impact the ability to design coherent policies but may have considerable impacts on the prospects of achieving sustainability transformations.

A comparative review of global environmental policies for promoting sustainable development and economic growth

“…The study emphasizes the need for local strategies that are compatible with global sustainability, suggesting that overcoming these trade-offs requires a comprehensive understanding of agricultural efficiency and the development of policies that pursue environmental and well-being goals simultaneously (Kyoi, Mori, & Matsushita, 2023). Gottenhuber et al (2023) examine the role of ideas in achieving policy coherence in the context of Sweden's green economic recovery debate following the COVID-19 pandemic. The study reveals that while synergistic frames combining social, environmental, and economic policy options carry the potential for coherence, the absence of discussions on power dynamics and the prioritization of policy goals may hinder the design of coherent policies.…”

“…The study reveals that while synergistic frames combining social, environmental, and economic policy options carry the potential for coherence, the absence of discussions on power dynamics and the prioritization of policy goals may hinder the design of coherent policies. This analysis underscores the importance of addressing policy incoherence and the challenges of integrating sustainability transformations into recovery efforts, highlighting the need for policies that effectively balance economic recovery with environmental and social sustainability (Gottenhuber et al, 2023). The challenges and trade-offs inherent in harmonizing economic growth with environmental sustainability are complex and multifaceted.…”