European businesses, national priorities: Pioneers and laggards of ecological modernisation

Article abstract:

Ecological modernisation has been widely adopted by western politicians as a means to achieving a balance between continued economic growth and sustainable development. Countries with consensual forms of government, such as Germany, seem to be leading the field in developing such policies. Thus, it might be expected that it will be the industries within these states that reap the win-win benefits of greater attention to the environment. This paper explores the reality of these expectations through semi-structured interviews with business managers in three EU countries: France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Contrary to expectations the attitudes of German managers to the environment did not differ significantly from their French and British counterparts. Differences in behaviour were perceived as a product of stricter environmental regulation in Germany rather than any deep-seated changes in outlook. Ecological modernisation was not seen as an answer to Germany's current economic predicament.