ABSTRACT
Austria is the rare case of a country where many of the factors deemed important for early success of LA21 processes were in place, but where the country still ended up being defined as a latecomer. The main driving force behind LA21 implementation in Austria is exerted by the federal provinces. Graz is also the capital of the federal state of Styria, an administrative centre for about one million people. Graz has a sound industrial base, with some large companies in the automotive sector. The general economic structure is, however, based on small- and medium-sized companies in a wide range of sectors. A vision-driven process has led to innovative new approaches in key sectors that have been considerably successful, even beyond the purely ecological focus. The concept of eco-social market economy emerged in the mid-1980s from a vivid discussion of the role of agriculture in the quest for environmental stability.
