The republican sustainable state as a framework for democratizing sustainable consumption governance

Gumbert, Tobias; Fuchs, Doris

Abstract

This article contributes to debates on the need and potential for a transformation of the democratic state under conditions of planetary crisis by examining the underexplored field of sustainable consumption governance. While demand-side mitigation has gained prominence in climate policy, its democratic dimension remains poorly theorized and undervalued. Most existing strategies reflect the dominance of a liberal state paradigm—centered on market mechanisms, individual responsibility, and behavioral nudging—without addressing broader questions of democratic legitimacy, justice, and collective agency. In response, the article develops a normative and institutional entry point to this debate grounded in green republicanism, a political theory that redefines freedom as non-domination and situates sustainability within the pursuit of the ecological common good. Through this lens, we assess how democratic processes and state capacities must be reimagined if they are to facilitate lifestyle change that is socially just, ecologically sufficient, and democratically legitimate. Drawing on the Consumption Corridors concept, we then use green republicanism to imagine what implementation pathways democratic consumption governance rooted in impactful participatory and deliberative mechanisms and strengthened provisioning systems could look like. While acknowledging critiques—such as concerns over paternalism, representation, and feasibility—we contend that a republican reorientation of the state would be necessary for overcoming the democratic and sustainability deficits of current consumption policy.