Promoting the Ecological Swede - A Frame Analysis of Swedish Green Party Policy

Abstract: Recent developments within the environmental debate have focused on the individual’s role in mitigating environmental degradation this, together with the advancement of feminist thought and globalization, has lead Andrew Dobson to call for a new conception of citizenship an ‘ecological citizenship’. Although being scarce, practical application and empirical testing has affirmed the existence of such a citizen and the unsurprising link with political affiliation. Considering Sweden’s affirmed role as an environmentally friendly nation, how and to what extent has Swedish Green Party policy taken up and adopted ‘ecological citizenship’? Using the method of frame analysis in examining official party policy documents and membership publication articles, this paper found that the Swedish Green Party had taken up and adopted ecological citizenly characteristics. It was also found that the inclusion of the private sphere and policies aimed at individual behavior, mainly taxation, were both significant and indicative for such a conclusion, affirming ‘ecological citizenships’ normative value.