Sustainability, local democracy and the future

This book deals with the challenges posed by the transformation of society towards much-needed sustainability. Especially, it deals with the local condi- tionalities ofthis change, but seen in a global context. Indeed, its two cases are Swedish, but the problems ofhow to relate to a globalized world are common in the world oftoday. The two cases have been deliberately chosen to expose alternative types ofchoices for the local communities involved: one that relates to the nation state and one that may use short cuts and relate more directly to a broader context while still being very local. This research has been part of a broader EU project and constitutes the Swedish contribution. The other countries involved in the European project were Austria, Portugal, Greece and the United Kingdom. The overall project leader was ProfessorTim O'Riordan, University ofEast Anglia, Norwich, UK, to whom we convey our thanks.The Swedish part was led by the undersigned, together with Professors Anders Hjort af Ornas and Ulrik Lohm, Linkoping University, asmembers ofthe core group.The European EUproject was reported in 200I in the book Globalism, Localism andIdentity. New Perspectives on the Transition to Sustainability, edited by Tim O'Riordan (Earthscan, London).