I spoke to the community of “Svenska Kommunikatörer” about the forces (called “Capitalism Generation 4”, “Social Capitalism” etc) behind the emerging consumer society we are seeing as manifestations in the upper middle-class lifestyle trends today but which will (or MUST) proliferate to the whole consumer culture if we want to live in an enduring society in the future.
| URL: | sverigeskommunikatorer.se |
In 2012 I wrote a report for Jordbruksverket (The Swedish Board of Agriculture) where I made a qualitative micro study to describe the contemporary green movement we are seeing proliferating in the western (and global?) middle classes. I describe it as a highly political but still not traditionally political; that is, it is not left or right, but a mainstream consumer movement uniting everyone for the sake of the planet. Hence, the movement has runs less risk of being stigmatized in one or the other camp but will remain a unite cause growing even stronger.
See the report attached as PDF and a related linked chronicle at Jordbruksverkets website:
http://www.jordbruksverket.se/amnesomraden/landsbygdsutveckling/gastkronikoren/gastkronikorforskare/2010/sofiaulver.4.6fe5f32113803ee61f78000790.html
In an interview by Linus Fremin (who had lost his voice so I wrote the answers :-)) we discussed the content of the report I made for Jordbruksverket “Den Nygröna Människan”.
| Read more from the article (in Swedish) here: | Dagens Nyheter |
At AddVenture I talked about how the paradigm shift following upon the enduring financial crisis and climate warnings calls for a new kind of capitalism. Some call it “Capitalism Generation 4”, some “Social Capitalism”, some “Sustainable Capitalism” , some “The New Capitalism” and some simply “the only way to go”. Here mechanisms of long-term orientation, solidarity, inclusion, climate care and responsibility must be built into the economic system. We must reevaluate what key measures to use when measuring success; e.g. BNP does not imply how (un)equal the economic activity in a nation is, and share holder value takes for granted that the only value a share holder should be interested in is monetary. Why not measure value in terms of social good, reducing poverty or supporting women’s education in patriarchic societies? Consumers translate the abstract values in The New Capitalism into the applicable meanings of Authenticity, Neogreen, Collaboration and Sharing. In a massive collective movement these consumers will together with producers, social entrepreneurs, politicians and an enlightened group of investors be the action heroes that introduce this new society that will rise rather than fall.