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Politics of public interest: Finnish forest capital's strategy in the Kaipola paper mill shutdown.
- Source :
-
Geografiska Annaler Series B: Human Geography . Dec2022, Vol. 104 Issue 4, p341-361. 21p. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Depoliticization has emerged as a key concept in analyzing the changing political dynamics of capitalist democracies. Yet, the concept of public interest has been relatively absent in depoliticization literature. This article argues for a more systematic inclusion of public interest politics in scrutinizing de- and repoliticization. The argument is advanced through strategic-relational theory by interpreting public interest as (1) a terrain of political struggles, (2) a mode of doing politics and (3) a method of enquiry. These dynamics are examined in the empirical context of Finnish forest industry's political strategy in the Kaipola paper mill closure in August 2020. The forest conglomerate UPM-Kymmene politicized its paper mill shutdown by shifting the responsibility to the centre-left governmental coalition's purportedly business-hostile policies. However, analyzing the case through UPM strategies and the paper production crisis, the closure falls in line with the forest industry's long-term business strategy. The forest industry's and UPM's strategy is recognized as a forceful defense of a corporate polity where public interest is equated with the success of key economic actors. The article concludes with an argument for the politics of public interest as a vital research perspective for analyzing contradictions surrounding 'the economy'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 04353684
- Volume :
- 104
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Geografiska Annaler Series B: Human Geography
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 160099407
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/04353684.2021.2025412