Changing Political Alliances and Success of Activists against Hydropower in Sweden

• In Event: 106 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 04. Energy Movements and Countermovements

Abstract

In November 1979 the Swedish parliament made a very rare decision – with only a slight majority it run over the government’s decision to construct a hydropower plant in Sölvbacka, a small village in north-west of Sweden that had fiercely mobilized against the construction and gained general public sympathy. While at first roll-call vote 15 members of parliament (MPs) voted against their own party’s, and the government’s, official position on the issue, second time the activists won thanks to one incumbent MP. This decision obliged the government to negotiate with the power company to refrain from building the hydro-power plant, i.e. the government would pay 270 million krona for compensation. This paper uses historical records of mobilization, discussions and voting data in the Swedish parliament for demonstrating how a small local movement can use political conflicts at national level in their benefit and win against all odds.The results are important for our better understanding of relationship between social movements and political parties.

Authors

• Katrin Uba, Uppsala University

• Jenny Jansson, Uppsala University