1. School of Global Studies
Hans.Abrahamsson@globalstudies.gu.se
Hans Abrahamsson
Contribution to Barrett Values Centre’s 2014 International Conference
Building a Values Driven Society
Stockholm, June 13, 2014
The global political economy and
The Great Transformation of our Time
Towards just and socially sustainable Scandinavian cities
Knowledge about and
approaches to Fair and
Socially Sustainable Cities
KAIROS

2. Globalisation
Epicentrum moving
South and East
Urbanisation
Cities' increasing role in
the new economic geography
Migration/Flow
Everyday life in two places
simultaneously
In transit
Increased mobility and
interconnectivity
National Production Systems
replaced by a global network
of production – added value chain
The great transformation of our time
Uneven development and
increased social polarization
Increased diversity and differing
socioeconomic conditions challenge
Social sustainability

3. Westphalian Order
Government
Post-Westphalian Order
Governance
Pre-Westphalian Order
Disorder
Pope
Church
King
Cities
Feudal lords
Regions
Nation-states
Urban regions
Warlords / Maffia
Transnational Corperations
Multilateral Organisationd (IMF/WB)
Globalisation and the political room
The changing role of the state
1648 1944
When the state withdraw from the political room
increased space is created for other actors, i.a.
for cities and their cross-border networks

4. Time
Cost of entry ticket
to the global production network
creates troublesome financial gap
Costs
Level of investments
Degree of self-financing
Costs for attracting global flows tend to increase > at the same
time as tax base tends to decrease = reduced welfare

5. World
Order
Nation
state
Financial gap and lack of governance
put relations between state and society under stress
and challenges the social cohesion
Requirements for macro-economic
balance – budget restrictions
reduced public expenditures and
social undertakings
Social
contract
Civil society
Identity formation
lojalty
Primary groups of identity
- in rivalry
The hidden borders o
social inclusion
Percieved social
exclusion
Social contract – Fordism
From ”welfare to workfare”
The erosion of the social contract
Civil society under stress
Danger of organic crisis
Informal networks of provision and safety
Global networkproduction
Separation of producer/consumer:
Income gaps – uneven development

6. Living conditions
Time
Capability
Social exclusion and relative deprivation
Individual guilt - inarticulated disgrace –
På 30
år
anger - violence
Capability
Burning cars on demand

7. Moving direction in this area of tension
is politically responsive
The imperative of social sustainability
Area of tension
Increasing glocality
The changing role of the state
When the state withdraw from the political room
increased space is created for cities and their
cross-border networks
Challenges for Urbanization
Dimension and pace of
Increasing inequalities
Global North / Global South
Node for
Sustainable
development Battlefield
for social
conflicts

8. Security
Military threats
Human
Security
Safety
Predictability
Development
Economic growth
Human
Development
Inclusion
Belonging
Right to the city
Human Rights
Equality
Recognition
Political Space
Justice
Distribution of
resources fördelning
Social Sustainability
Social cohesion, resilience
Capacity to deal with ”wicked issues”
Citizen participation, co-creation
Weak
sustainability
Strong
sustainability
Towards just and social sustainable cities
essentially contested concepts
based upon three values shaping human history

9. Growth Engine, and one of the world's most
innovative Regions
Västra Götaland will 2020 be the World Leader
within its areas of strength
Production networks have four "mantra"
for global competitiveness
shape development thinking in Swedish urban regions
GROWTH
innovation
CREATIVITY
attraCTIVITY
Urban governance in our time
requires several value driven
paradigmatic shifts!
Stockholm region will be Europe’s
most attractive metropolitan region.

10. Reducing exclusion
Fear of social risks and threats to the security-
increases the risk of reinforced inside Community
Social investment policy
Shock absorber for managing
conflicting goals
early intervention reduces
future costs
Co-creation and citizen dialogue
- Strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the system
- Manage complex social problems
- Identify the effects of conflicting goals
- Real power through participatory budgeting
Offense (positive) security
preventing, promoting,
creating social trust
from below
Defensive (negative) security
control , fencing, monitoring
from above

11. Dialogue and co-creation
Interdependent and mutually constitutive
Dialogue – the art of thinking together.
To visualize different perspectives,
conflicting goals and diverging interests.
Empowerment for stronger agency.
Co-creation – interaction on equal terms,
based upon theoretical anchored
as well as experienced based – tacit knowledge
Dialogue and co-creation is about creating
conditions for increased participation and co-creation
to manage wicked and complex social issues of our time.
Identifying measures to promote social sustainability
and prevent social conflicts (provention).

12. A new welfare-regime
Social sustainability
Proportional universality
Increased diversity and differing
socioeconomic conditions
create a need to combine
A universal welfare policy with a
directed social investment
policy
In search for social sustainability
What ought to be done ?
A new growth regime
Economic sustainability
(a) Defining and measuring
economic growth
Decoupling: Quality of life / well-being
(b) Orientation of production
Increased local resource mobilization
gradually decreased outward orientation
The urban – rural connection
Citizen participation – co-creation and dialogue
Reconsidering the relationship
between growth and welfare
Conflicting goals
Growth and sustainability
The difficult balancing act
given the necessary
welfare funding
Global market vulnerability
The most globalized country in OECD.
TNC / capita
50% of GDP export oriented
Gothenburg 60% of GRP

13. The policy
”le Police”
To do anything
Impartiality
Consensus
The political
”le Politique”
How
Means
Ownership
Politics
”la Politique”
Room of manouevre
Systems of production and public health
sence of coherence
What and why
Conflicting goals and
interests
Citizen participation – co-creation and dialogue
in order to break with the post-political consensus
Rhetorical gapPolicyformation Implementation
Confrontational
dialogue
Disciplinary
dialogue
Consensus building
dialogue
Co-creation and citizen dialogue
Creativity, innovation and cognitive ability
Identifiation of conflicting goals
Manage wicked issues
Westphalian order
Government
Post-Westphalian order
Government
Transition

14. Traditional hierarchical
policy-driven management
(for the voter)
Network Society with their complex social issues
place new demands on governance: dialogue and co-creation
Thesis - Antithesis - Synthesis
New Public Management
market-driven
(for the customer)
Public Value Management
network based governance
Dialog - co-creation
(for citizens)
tt
Network based governance
from New Public Management to
Public Value Management
The value of the common welfare is greater
than the satisfaction of individual needs
Dialogue and co-creation

15. Thank you for the attention
Hans Abrahamsson
School of Global Studies
Hans.Abrahamsson@globalstudies.gu.se