Specific subjects
Besides depicting the Stockholm Network's structure, activities, involved people, and its think tanks the Think Tank Network Initiative is taking a closer look at certain thematic contexts: currently the Stockholm Network's position concerning
- the current financial and economic crisis
- climate and environmental policies.
The current financial and economic crisis has unsettled the faith, at least in the medial discourse, into the self-regulatory powers and efficiency of the markets and one could have gotten the impression the neoliberal discourse has crumbled at its core. Governments are challenged to intervene into market processes with financial rescue and regulatory measures, and limiting the development of ever more risky financial products.
A number of think tanks of the Stockholm Network are dedicated to safeguarding and defending the market efficiency discourse against positions that understand the current crisis as virtual disclaimer of the same. Depending on the think tanks ideological alignment and their political interests the think tanks can be grouped into three categories. The first categorically reckons with the state's monetary policies, which are understood as distorting market conditions fundamentally. The second argues from a regulative perspective and discusses regulation of markets as conditional for their proper functioning. The third category features prominently the question of how to deal with the crisis impact. In the latter discussion the contours of rigid budgetary and austerity policies are detectable.
Besides the financial and economic crisis governments are also legitimized by the man-made climate change to intervene sustainably into economic processes. Climate protection targets, carbon dioxide emission limits, and the specific promotion of renewable energies limits the market's role as identification process for economic efficient solutions. The political program collides with core principles of neoliberal theory. Thus not surprisingly, a number of think tanks of the Stockholm Network propagate Es verwundert so nicht, dass eine Reihe von Think Tanks des Stockholm Network klimaskeptische Positionen propagieren. Jedoch nehmen die Klimaskeptiker nicht die Position unbestrittener Dominanz ein. Eine andere Linie der Argumentation akzeptiert Darstellungen des IPCC als verbindlichen Stand der Wissenschaft und von den Umweltbedingungen gesetzte Schranken wirtschaftlichen und politischen Handelns. Hier interessiert man sich mehr als für den ideologischen Grundsatzstreit für eine marktkonforme, freihandelsorientierte Implementation von Klimaschutzpolitiken. Was etwa die Forderung nach Rückführung staatlicher Subventionen für die Solarindustrie und die Setzung von Rahmenbedingen für eine marktförmige Durchsetzung regenerativer Energien.
Übersichten zum Netzwerk • Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise • Umweltpolitik
Einzelanalysen können auch andere Teile oder Aspekte des Gesamtnetzwerkes fokussieren, z.B. die nationalen Zusammenhänge in transantionalen Netzwerken oder bestimmte Aufgaben, z.B.
- die deutschen Mitglieder des Stockholmnetzwerkes
- die wissenschaftliche Arbeit der Think Tanks oder
- die Medienarbeit der Think Tanks oder
- die Finanzierung der Think Tanks.