Pushing governmental responsibility for sustainable development: How orders of worth evoked by diagnostic and prognostic frames contribute to movement support

Lawsuits against national states present a relatively new approach of environmental activism and, specifically, their resonance in public discourses has not yet been studied. Combining theories on social movement frames and legitimacy maintenance, this chapter develops and applies a theoretical framework for the analysis of public discourses that put the legitimacy of democratic systems for solving problems of sustainable development to the test. The central question addressed is which factors contribute to controversies and their solutions concerning governmental responsibilities to accelerate sustainable development? Two recent lawsuits in the Netherlands have received ample public attention and the surrounding debates in the national news are presented as exemplary case studies.