Problematizing and Reconceptualizing the Eco-Social

The concept of the eco-social is becoming increasingly prominent in research, particularly concerning policy. The eco-social “addresses social and environmental goals and brings about benefits in both dimensions” (Carmi 2016). However, as some have noted (e.g., Mandelli 2022), it suffers from analytical limitations. I argue that throughout the history of the term, these limitations included parochialism, misclassification, and concept stretching (Sartori 1991). This paper demonstrates that the last concern is the most pressing by indicating that environmental politics has almost always addressed social goals as well as environmental ones. Covering a brief history of the environmental movement that includes conservationist, environmental justice, green anarchism, social ecology, climate change, climate justice, and degrowth, this paper argues that in the majority of campaigns for the reduction of environmental harms or pro-environmental change, collective action framing included social benefits on in addition to ecological ones. As other political domains are increasingly expected to address the environmental question due to the rising salience of climate change, this problem is exacerbated. Politics containing greenwashing would also be included using the consensus definition presented above. To address the problem of concept stretching, we turn to Sartori’s ladder of abstraction (1970) and present two existing solutions: intension increase and rung descension. Although they solve the problem of concept stretching, these options produce additional concerns. A new, third option is presented: concept intertwining, by which the eco-social is understood as a networked process. In this case, the eco-social-system looks at the interactions between eco-social policy, political parties, movements, publics/values and states. Inclusion into the eco-social requires a connection with others within the eco-social system. This system operates within a wider eco-social climate, the context that provides opportunities to and constraints on eco-social actors. Along with solving the problems of concept stretching, the proposed method of concept intertwining enables a wide range of additional research areas of importance for environmental politics. Carmi, Diletta (2016) Implementing eco-social policies: Barriers and opportunities. A preliminary comparative analysis, UNRISD Working Paper, No. 2016-12, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Geneva Mandelli, Matteo (2022) ‘Understanding eco-social policies: a proposed definition and typology’, Transfer, 28(3): 333-348. Sartori, Giovanni (1970) ‘Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics’, The American Political Science Review, 64(4): 1033-1053. Sartori, Giovanni (1991) ‘Comparing and Miscomparing’, Journal of Theoretical Politics, 3: DOI: 10.1177/0951692891003003001.