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Towards Socially Sustainable Local Government: A case of Swedish Municipalities

This study explores the positive relation between social networks and environment policy in Swedish municipalities, focusing on two national subsidy programs. The analysis of variance and network analysis were used to identify the chief actors and reveal the network structures. The results indicate that municipalities and municipal companies were the chief actors involved in the projects, while private companies and associations had lower participation. The study contributes to understanding the importance of social networks in achieving sustainable development.

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Towards Socially Sustainable Local Government: A case of Swedish Municipalities

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  1. IGU Urban Commission 2011 Canterbury Meeting 14-20 August 2011 Canterbury, UK Towards Socially Sustainable Local Government:A case of Swedish Municipalities Jun YAMASHITA Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, JAPAN

  2. Introduction(1) • Social sustainability has been gaining much attention (Rydin and Holman, 2004; Evans et al., 2005, 2006). • “A positive relation between the social capital or social network and success of environment policy.” • However, there are few empirical studies regarding this relation. High possibility of success in sustainable development policies High level of social capital or network

  3. Introduction(2) • Two Swedish national subsidy programmes, LIP (1998-2002) and Klimp (2003-8), are good research objectives to reveal such a positive relation. • Because these programmes aimed at creating social networks and reduction in negative effects of the global warming. Purposes in this study • To identify chief actors before and after LIP, and to reveal whether various kinds of actors were involved after the LIP. • To contribute to identification of the positive relation between the social network and environment policy.

  4. 1. Methods

  5. 1.1 Overview of the LIP and Klimp (1) • Influences of LIP and Klimp projects to collaboration of actors were identified by urban and rural areas • The urban areas: the national centres,three metropolitan areas • An advantage of human and financial resources • 899 LIP and 455 Klimp projects were implemented. • The rural areas: the national peripheries, • Advantageous on social networks • 944 LIP and 458 Klimp projects were undertaken. • Malmö and Växjö, were selected as a case city for each area.

  6. 1.1 Overview of the LIP and Klimp (2) • Actor • Municipalities, municipal companies, and private companies highly involved in LIP and Klimp in both urban and rural areas • Private persons and associations rarely participated in either LIP or Klimp projects in both urban and rural area. • Actors in urban and rural areas are much similar. • The public participation was hardly reinforced in either LIP or Klimp in the urban and rural areas.

  7. 1.1 Overview of the LIP and Klimp (3) • Objective • Various kinds of projects were implemented in LIP in both urban and rural areas. • Projects were concentrated in the two fields of energy and transport in Klimp in the two areas • Although LIP’s objectives differ from Klimp’s, there was no difference in objective between the urban and rural areas.

  8. 1.2 Analytical methods and data (1) • The analysis of variance and network analysis were utilised to identify who were chief actors. • For the analysis of variance, the number of projects by actor and objective were employed as data. • For the network analysis, the five point scale showing below was employed. • The three indexes, namely, the average shortest distance, density, and degree centrality, were also used to explicate network structures.

  9. 2. Results

  10. 2.1 Results derived from applications of the analysis of variance (1) • There is statistically no difference in either actor or objective between urban and rural areas. • Regarding actors, far larger values of estimated variances within urban and rural areas than between these areas lead to statistical no significance of variance ratios at 10 percent level. • Chief actors were municipalities and municipal companies in the LIP and Klimp projects. • Promoting collaboration among various actors was hardly attained.

  11. 2.1 Results derived from applications of the analysis of variance (2) • Differences in objectives were very smallbetween urban and rural areas. • Such small figures of the estimated variances between the two areas brought statistically nosignificance of the variance ratios at 10 percent level. • Objectives in the LIP and Klimp are not different but concentrated in energy and transport in the LIP and Klimp in both urban and rural areas.

  12. 2.2 Results derived from applications of the network analysis (1) • Network structure principally did not change before and after LIP. • The actors in both Malmö and Växjö were closely connected with each other at the implemental stage of LIP. • Contrarily, social networks of actors rapidly diminished after LIP.

  13. 2.2 Results derived from applications of the network analysis (2) • Using the degree centrality, it is confirmed that chief actors were municipalitiesand municipal companies in Malmö and Växjö. • Actors in municipalities and municipal companies have high values of degree centrality. • Conversely, private companies, associations and organizations have low values. • Some actors were not involved in any environmental projects before LIP or after LIP.

  14. 2.2 Results derived from applications of the network analysis (3) • Sociogrammes also indicate that the municipalities and municipal companies were chief actors. • Among actors from municipalities and municipal companies, networks havealready been formed before LIP, were strengthened at the implemental stage of LIP, and were lessened but still remained after LIP. • Links between municipalities or municipal companies and other actors were established at the implemental stage of LIP, but were almost dissolved after LIP.

  15. 2.2 Results derived from applications of the network analysis (4) • A positive relation between the social network and success of environment policy did notobserved in this study. • The energy consumptions in Malmö and Växjö increased between 2000 and 2004, but the social networks were tightened and various actors involved then. • Contrarily, the energy consumptions in Växjö decreased between 2004 and 2008, but the social network was loosened then. • These findings differ from those in the previous studies.

  16. Conclusions • As results derived from applications of both the analysis of variance and network analysis, it was explicated thatmunicipalities and municipal companies were main actors. • There was no difference in actor and objectivebetween the centres and peripheries. • It was, therefore, concluded that the participation of various actors was hardly enhancedin the LIP and Klimp projects. • It was also suggested that no positive but anegative or no relation between the social network and success of environment policy in this study.

  17. Thank you for your attention.ご清聴ありがとうございました

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