164 results
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2. ‘Sustainability does not quite get the attention it deserves’: synergies and tensions in the sustainability frames of Australian food policy actors
- Author
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Helen Trevena, Jenny Kaldor, and Shauna M. Downs
- Subjects
Societies, Scientific ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Civil society ,Social sustainability ,Systems Theory ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Guidelines as Topic ,Public-Private Sector Partnerships ,Food Supply ,Nutrition Policy ,Animals ,Humans ,Food-Processing Industry ,Sustainability organizations ,Consumer Advocacy ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,business.industry ,Green paper ,Australia ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Agriculture ,Consumer Behavior ,Public relations ,Research Papers ,language.human_language ,Diet ,Environmental Policy ,Models, Economic ,Framing (social sciences) ,Sustainability ,Food policy ,language ,Food systems ,business ,Program Evaluation - Abstract
ObjectiveThe development of food policy is strongly influenced by the understanding and position actors adopt in their ‘framing’ of sustainability. The Australian Government developed a National Food Plan (2010–2013). In public consultations on the National Food Plan Green Paper, the government sought stakeholders’ views on sustainability. The present study examined the way in which the food industry and civil society organizations framed sustainability in their submissions to the Green Paper.DesignSubmissions by food industry actors and civil society organizations were analysed using a framing matrix that examined positioning, drivers, underlying principles and policy solutions related to sustainability. Submissions were open coded and subsequently organized based on themes within the framing matrix.SettingAustralia.SubjectsOne hundred and twenty-four written submissions (1420 pages).ResultsWhile submissions from industry and civil society organizations often framed sustainability similarly, there were also major differences. Civil society organizations were more likely to make the link between the food supply and population health, while industry was more likely to focus on economic sustainability. Both viewed consumer demand as a driver of sustainability, welcomed the idea of a whole-of-government approach and stressed the need for investment in research and development to improve productivity and sustainable farming practices.ConclusionsThe meaning of sustainability shifted throughout the policy process. There are opportunities for creating shared value in food policy, where the health, environment and economic dimensions of sustainability can be compatible. However, despite pockets of optimism there is a need for a shared vision of sustainability if Australia is to have a food policy integrating these dimensions.
- Published
- 2014
3. Educational hazards? The politics of disaster risk education in Rio de Janeiro.
- Author
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Coates, Robert
- Subjects
HAZARD mitigation ,EMERGENCY management ,POLITICAL science education ,TRANSFORMATIVE learning ,DISASTERS ,EDUCATIONAL outcomes ,CIVIL society - Abstract
Disaster education outcomes are highly dependent on the political context of that education. Based on a rich, in‐depth case study of the creation of community monitors in a landslide and flood‐prone city in southeast Brazil, this paper demonstrates how developmental and political environments add much additional nuance to existing theories of behaviourist and transformative education for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Beyond identifying the benefits of education, it argues that disaster risk reduction outcomes are reliant on governance frameworks that alter over time. The study reveals the political complexity associated with programme implementation and cites the perspectives of a number of participants. Disaster education is shown to be the necessary yet underappreciated twin of the militarised and technical approaches that dominate disaster response in Brazil. Understated, however, is education's situatedness: how it can become an arena of conflict between government and civil actors over matters of state and society in increasingly hazardous urbanisation settings in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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4. Construction of Corporatist State-Society Relations and Its Democratic Weakness: An Interpretation of Current Discourses on the European NGOs.
- Author
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Amiya-Nakada, Ryosuke
- Subjects
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NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations , *NONPROFIT organizations , *DEMOCRACY , *CIVIL society , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy - Abstract
This paper analyzes recent developments and legitimating discourses in the relationship between the "civil society", especially the NGOs, on the one hand, and the EU institutions. After briefly reviewing the developing involvement of NGOs in policy areas such as environmental policy or development policy, the paper examines recent attempt by the Prodi Commission to involve civil society actors as an Commission-wide strategy of constructing "Citizen’s Europe". Further, it analyzes discourses of several NGOs to remedy "democratic deficit" by their participation in policy processes. Based on these descriptive findings, the paper contends that: (1) current policy developments and discourses contains a bias toward what I call "corporatist state-society relations" model, which leans toward deeper direct involvement of civil society actors in policy processes; (2) this model lies behind discourses of NGOs, too. This is because there exists partial congruence of interests between NGos and the Commission; i.e., the need of the Commission to restrict the number of participants for the sake of efficiency and inconvenience for the NGOs of applying strictly pluralist criteria of "representativeness" based on "number"; (3) but this model has its inherent weakness in the dilemma of governance and legitimacy, exemplified by the difficulty defining "representativeness" of the NGOs. The Commission seems to advance efficiency of consultation process by inducing civil society actors to form coordinating framework such as the Social Platform. But, this strategy put the very legitimating potential of NGOs at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
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5. Resistance is Fertile: Exploring Green Citizenship from Republicanism to Recycling.
- Author
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Barry, John
- Subjects
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ENVIRONMENTALISM , *CITIZENSHIP , *SUSTAINABLE development , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *REPUBLICANISM , *CIVIL society - Abstract
The aim of this paper is to explore and criticially interrogate ‘environmental citizenship’ and develop a more critical and politically challenging concept of ‘sustainability citizenship’. The paper also discusses some controversial suggestions for ‘compulsory sustainability service’ as part of a (republican-inspired) notion of sustainability citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
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6. Clashing coalitions: a discourse analysis of an artificial groundwater recharge project in Finland.
- Author
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Kurki, Vuokko, Takala, Annina, and Vinnari, Eija
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ARTIFICIAL groundwater recharge ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,DISCOURSE analysis ,CIVIL society ,COALITIONS - Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the dynamics of knowledge production in the context of large-scale environmental projects causing local conflict. In particular, the paper analyses the discourse coalitions that formed around an artificial groundwater recharge project for the Turku Region in Finland. The material for this study consists of over 400 articles and opinion pieces which were collected from local and regional newspapers between 1999 and 2010. The articles were analysed by using Hajer's [1995.The politics of environmental discourse. Ecological modernisation and the policy process. Oxford, UK: Clarendon] discursive framework, and the analysis was complemented with the concept of knowledge coalition by Van Buuren and Edelenbos [2004. Conflicting knowledge. Why is joint knowledge production such a problem?Science and Public Policy, 31 (4), 289–299]. Results of the study indicate that knowledge coalitions were formed among the researchers, lay residents, and policy-makers, and they all utilised similar expertise-based factual arguments to support their cause. Thus, the paper participates in the academic discussion on the use and interpretation of expert knowledge in environmental policy-making by reshaping the division between experts and lay residents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2016
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7. Broadening and Deepening the Presence of Environmental Sociology.
- Author
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Jorgenson, Andrew K.
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CIVIL society ,ENVIRONMENTAL sociology ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CLIMATE change ,ENVIRONMENTAL protection - Abstract
In this essay, I describe a few ways in which I've ventured outside of my comfort zone and become more engaged with multidisciplinary communities, policy groups and governmental agencies, the media, and civil society. Through such efforts, I've tried to help broaden and deepen the presence of environmental sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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8. Conflitos, ação coletiva e políticas públicas: Conteúdos sociais das origens e consolidação de áreas de proteção ambiental no Espírito Santo.
- Author
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Bis Santos, Leonardo
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SOCIAL conflict ,GOVERNMENT policy ,COLLECTIVE action ,PROTECTED areas ,SOCIAL action ,PARTICIPATION ,CIVIL society - Abstract
Copyright of Dilemas: Revista de Estudos de Conflito e Controle Social is the property of Dilemas: Revista de Estudos de Conflito e Controle Social and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2021
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9. Tensions in Deliberative Practice: A View from Civil Society.
- Author
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Dodge, Jennifer
- Subjects
- *
CIVIL society , *DELIBERATIVE democracy , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *ENVIRONMENTAL justice , *POLITICAL science - Abstract
This paper presents empirical findings from an interpretive case study of the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (the Network). It focuses on their efforts to develop policy ideas grounded in the experience of their members, and to promote them throughout the "deliberative system," a series of forums and spheres where communicative practices that foster critical, public reflection take place. Findings indicate that the organization adopts a "dual strategy" where they collaborate with government agents in face-to-face deliberative forums and take independent action outside them. This dual strategy surfaces two tensions in deliberative practice that the Network learned to manage in order to get their ideas onto the public stage: 1) doing policy advocacy that requires collaboration with policy elites while staying "bottom up," and 2) developing policy ideas relevant to decision makers while maintaining the autonomy to be critical. Acknowledgements: I gratefully acknowledge the contribution of staff, affiliates, and colleagues of the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice for their contribution to this research. They brought to interviews a deep knowledge of the environmental justice movement and its history in New Mexico. This research was supported by the Research and Documentation component of Leadership for a Changing World (LCW), a program sponsored by the Ford Foundation; I recognize the contributions of my colleagues at the Research Center for Leadership in Action, and our co-researchers and partners in LCW who shaped my understanding of social change work. I am grateful for the comments of anonymous reviewers and participants of the panel 'Accounting for politics in applications of deliberative democracy theory' at the Interpretative Policy Analysis Conference in 2008, where this paper was first presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
10. The Rise of Emissions Trading in Global Climate Politics. Business Power and Pro-Regulatory Collective Action.
- Author
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Meckling, Jonas
- Subjects
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EMISSIONS trading , *CIVIL society , *INTERNATIONAL business enterprises , *CLIMATE change , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy - Abstract
The role of transnational advocacy networks and coalitions has been widely discussed with regard to the rise of global civil society. However, little is known about transnational coalition formation among multinational firms in processes of market creation. This paper focuses on the transnational mobilisation of firms in promoting a global market for carbon emission credits in the context of climate politics.Since the inception of climate politics, firms have played a vital political role, initially opposing any form of regulation. However, in the late 90s, firms in Europe and subsequently in the United States began to endorse emissions trading as a form of market-based climate policy. At the core of this shift is the creation and promotion of various initiatives including advocacy networks, market-facilitating mechanisms, and private carbon trading schemes. This raises the question what drives the emergence of a transnational pro-trading coalition among multinationals in the transatlantic marketplace.Drawing from studies on policy diffusion and private governance, it is argued that coalition formation is best understood as a form of diffusion within and across industries. Here, diffusion is qualified as a distinct causal mechanism that builds on the interdependence of firm behaviour. Two main forms of diffusion are at work in coalition formation: diffusion through adaptation to global norms or competitive pressures, and diffusion through learning in transnational networks or through observation of industry peers. With this focus, the paper contributes to the understanding of the transnational mobilisation of multinationals in the creation of environmental markets. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
11. Where Environmental Citizen Science Meets the Law.
- Author
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KASPEROWSKI, DICK, SUMAN, ANNA BERTI, SHUN-LING CHEN, and KULLENBERG, CHRISTOPHER
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ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CITIZEN science ,ENVIRONMENTAL justice ,CIVIL society ,ENVIRONMENTAL monitoring ,REPRESENTATIVE government - Abstract
Editorial for the special collection Where Environmental Citizen Science Meets The Law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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12. Transnational Environmental Activism in North America: Wielding Soft Power through Knowledge Sharing?
- Author
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Pacheco‐Vega, Raul
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL activism ,THEORY of knowledge ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,SOFT power (Social sciences) ,DECISION making - Abstract
While a majority of scholarship on the study of transnational advocacy networks ( TANs) has focused on the role of value-and-belief-sharing as these networks link activists across nations together, less has been written concerning the role of knowledge exchange among environmental nongovernmental organizations ( ENGOs) in helping effect policy change. This article examines how transnational coalitions of ENGOs in North America have helped shape environmental policy across the Canada- U.S.- Mexico borders. In the paper, I explore two cases of nonstate actor mobilization: the North American Pollutant Release, and Transfer Registry Project and the Citizen Submission on Enforcement Matters. In this article, I bridge notions of 'soft power' with scholarship on knowledge sharing, thereby showing that nonstate actors use it as a model to build stronger transnational coalitions, effecting pressure on industry and intergovernmental actors, and provide policy input in environmental decision making across borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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13. Private Authority on the Rise: A Century of delegation in multilateral environmental agreements.
- Author
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Green, Jessica F.
- Subjects
- *
GLOBALIZATION , *CIVIL society , *INTERNATIONAL relations , *INTERNATIONAL trade , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy - Abstract
As globalization has increased the interdependence among states, the flows of goods and people across borders and the organization and reach of civil society, some scholars and policymakers have argued that the result is a waning in the power of the state. A dozen years ago, Susan Strange went so far as to proclaim a "retreat of the state" and challenge the relevance of "state-centricity" of modern international relations (1996). Although Strange's argument is probably overstated, the intuition is certainly correct: the role of the state is changing. This paper aims to understand when and how non-state actors are undertaking governance activities. I am uninterested in contributing to an "either/or" debate about whether the state is in retreat. Rather, I am interested in the changing nature of the relationship between state and non-state actors, and specifically, the ways in which non-state actors govern in international environmental politics. The nature of this relationship represents a relatively new area of research, and is little understood. This analysis contributes to the study of non-state actorsâ??and therefore, debates on private authority and the role of the stateâ??by conducting a careful historical analysis of delegation to non-state actors in multilateral environmental agreements. I look closely at one governance role assumed by private actors: the extent to which they are selected as agents by states. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
14. Building Environmental States: Legitimacy and Rationalization in Sustainability Governance.
- Author
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Frickel, Scott and Davidson, Debra
- Subjects
NATION-state ,SUSTAINABLE development ,ECONOMIC development & the environment ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society - Abstract
This paper explores the potential for sustainability governance by nation-states. Sustainability governance is achieved when nation-states make environmental protection a basic goal, in part by committing institutional resources toward the formation and implementation of substantive actions perceived necessary for long-term environmental sustainability. Existing research suggests that nation states undertake environmental action in order to maintain legitimacy in the face of political pressure. While the maintenance of legitimacy is necessary, we argue that substantive sustainability governance is also dependent upon the rationalization of state environmental roles. Further, environmental state-building can be fostered through the enrichment of embedded state-societal networks with two key actors in civil society: environmental justice movements and environmental knowledge professionals. We develop a conceptual framework that grounds sustainability efforts in rationalization processes, and examines the strengths, weaknesses, and synergistic potential of these two social actors to create the conditions necessary for building environmentally sustainable states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
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15. Civil society organizations and deliberative policy making: interpreting environmental controversies in the deliberative system.
- Author
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Dodge, Jennifer
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society ,SOCIAL contract ,DEMOCRACY ,ENVIRONMENTAL auditing ,ENVIRONMENTAL economics ,ENVIRONMENTAL protection - Abstract
This paper argues that while research on deliberative democracy is burgeoning, there is relatively little attention paid to the contributions of civil society. Based on an interpretive conceptualization of deliberative democracy, this paper draws attention to the ways in which civil society organizations employ 'storylines' about environmental issues and deliberative processes to shape deliberative policy making. It asks, how do civil society organizations promote storylines in the deliberative system to change policy? How do storylines constitute policy and policy-making processes in the deliberative system? I answer these questions through an empirical analysis of two environmental controversies in the USA: environmental justice in New Mexico and coalbed methane development in Wyoming. Findings indicate that civil society organizations used storylines in both cases to shift the dynamics of the deliberative system and to advance their own interpretations of environmental problems and policy-making processes. Specifically, they used storylines (1) to set the agenda on environmental hazards, (2) to construct the form of public deliberation, changing the rules of the game, (3) to construct the content of public deliberation, shaping meanings related to environmental policy, and (4) to couple/align forums, arenas and courts across the system. These findings suggest that promoting storylines through accommodation and selection processes can be an important mechanism for shaping policy meanings and for improving deliberative quality, although these effects are tempered by discursive and material forms of power, and the competition among alternative storylines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
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16. Climate-smart agriculture: perspectives and framings.
- Author
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Chandra, Alvin, McNamara, Karen E., and Dargusch, Paul
- Subjects
- *
CLIMATE change mitigation , *AGRICULTURAL technology , *FOOD security , *CIVIL society , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,DEVELOPED countries - Abstract
This paper offers a systematic analysis of the concepts and contexts that frame the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) discourse in the academic and policy literature. Documents (n = 113) related to CSA and published in peer-reviewed journals, books, working papers, and scientific reports from 2004 to 2016 were reviewed. Three key trends emerged from the analysis: studies are biased towards global policy agendas; research focuses on scientific and technical issues; and the integration of mitigation, adaptation, and food security (the three pillars of CSA) is becoming a popular scholarly solution. Findings suggest that CSA is a fairly new concept used to describe a range of adaptation and mitigation practices without a specific set of criteria. Although CSA is often framed around the three pillars, the underlying issues constructing the discourse differ at global, developing, and developed country scales. Although there is increasing research on developing countries, particularly in relation to how CSA can transform smallholder agriculture, there is a paucity of research documenting the experiences from developed countries. The findings suggest that research on CSA needs to move beyond solely focussing on scientific approaches and only in certain geographical contexts. If CSA is to be applicable for farmers across the globe, then cross-disciplinary research that is underpinned by broad socio-economic and political contexts is essential to understand how differences in narratives might affect implementation on-the-ground in both developing and developed countries. POLICY RELEVANCE Although policy makers are increasingly supportive of the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approach, the rhetoric has largely been developed on the basis of scientific and technical arguments. The political implications of varying perspectives have resulted in a growing divide between how developing and developed countries frame solutions to the impacts of climate change on agriculture under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Different framings are part of the explanation for why the scope of CSA is being rethought, with the scientific community redirecting attention to seeking a separate work programme under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The current policy framing of CSA will give no new policy direction unless it grounds itself in the smallholder farmer and civil society contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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17. Informing strategic climate action: the Climate Social Science Network.
- Author
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Roberts, J. Timmons, Brulle, Robert, and Jacquet, Jennifer
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL sciences ,NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations ,CLIMATE change ,CIVIL society ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy - Abstract
Thirty years of well-meaning efforts by environmental scientists, NGOs and foundations have failed to result in effective policy and nongovernmental action; we believe this is because the extent and nature of obstruction efforts are barely understood, and therefore not effectively countered. We built the Climate Social Science Network (CSSN) to address this damaging lack of understanding of climate obstruction. In the few years since our launch in September 2020, CSSN has grown rapidly to nearly 500 scholars in 35 countries, and shown that this research agenda is of wide interest and use for some of the world's most promising campaigns to address climate change. We wish CSSN to provide detailed, systematic and reliable information about the organizations obstructing climate action to civil society organizations, investigators, litigators, and policy-makers. However, we have learned that doing so only through scholarly outputs is not sufficient, and even with a focused effort on outreach and translation, that academic institutions are not by themselves adequate to match the complex organizational network assembled by conservative actors seeking to avoid regulation and roll back climate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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18. The Evolution of Environmental Policy in the People's Republic of China.
- Author
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Edmonds, Richard Louis
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,ATTENTION ,ENVIRONMENTAL impact analysis ,INFRASTRUCTURE (Economics) ,DEBATE ,CIVIL society ,BIODEGRADATION - Abstract
This paper outlines how the evolution of China's policy and study of the environment are reflected in the scholarly literature, paying special attention to the impact of the country's environmental developments on international relations. In particular, it examines accounts of how China has moved from an isolated national scientific and environmental control infrastructure into the centre of international environmental debates as its society has opened and the geographical scale of ecological problems has expanded. The paper also identifies the continuing inhibitors to China's ability to control environmental degradation - including lack of transparency, elite manipulation, and bureaucratic weaknesses - despite the opening of China's system to limited participation of civil society in its environmental debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
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19. Structures and Logic of EP Implementation and Administration in China.
- Author
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Grunow, Dieter
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL protection ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society ,PUBLIC administration ,IMPLEMENTATION (Social action programs) ,SOCIAL responsibility ,ENVIRONMENTAL health - Abstract
This paper describes empirical observations gathered during a research project on the implementation of environmental protection (EP) policies in China. The project focused on local EP in both urban and rural areas. Policy field analysis was used as a conceptual framework for structuring the observations. The paper develops in three main steps discussing the following topics: 1) Collective problems within the policy field of EP show that EP issues in general are unlike those of other policy fields. Official EP policies in China today resemble those of other countries - but they are separating issues and responsibilities, making local implementation very demanding. 2) China lags behind in its willingness and ability to implement these policies - leading to implementation gaps. To explore the causes and consequences, specific sites in China are described in an extended look at local implementation structures. It was found that although policies in China are basically the same everywhere, the structures for implementing them and the quality of their implementation vary widely with regard to resources, organization, coordination, staff qualifications, personnel placement, and other aspects. 3) Not all of the challenges hampering local implementation of environmental policies were China-specific; however, some of those which are can be described as the macro-context: an ineffective rule of law, insufficient involvement of civil society, and complicated macro-structures of public administration prevent a generally high level of successful EP implementation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
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20. Role of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in seafood eco-labelling policy in Japan.
- Author
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Gondor, Darek and Morimoto, Hideka
- Abstract
Purpose – Drawing on original and published research this paper seeks to examine the current situation of eco-labelling in Japan, and the possible roles of two connected non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – the Marine Stewarship Council (MSC) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – may have in future decision making. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-method survey approach is used. Two quantitative surveys are followed by unstructured interviews of stakeholders in fisheries and eco-labelling policy. Findings – Environmental values of Japanese seafood consumers are complex and not explained by any one demographic factor. Environmental problems are becoming complex, and solutions are being sought from beyond the bureaucratic circles, including NGOs. However, neither WWF nor MSC are important stakeholders in policy decisions, but their influence is growing, particularly through relationships with private sector. Research limitations/implications – Interviews do not offer a representative sample; important inferences but not causative conclusions can be made. Originality/value – The paper contributes new findings on environmental values, MSC products, and the decision making situation surrounding seafood eco-labels in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
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21. Environmental civil society and governance in China.
- Author
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Lu, Yiyi
- Subjects
GREEN movement ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations ,ENVIRONMENTALISM ,POLITICAL ecology ,ENVIRONMENTAL management ,ENVIRONMENTAL protection - Abstract
Chinese environmental groups have become increasingly active in the past few years and have begun to make an impact on environmental governance. The paper analyses the recent development of Chinese environmental civil society, the way it operates, and the challenges ahead, which include the need for environmental NGOs to improve their technical capacity, to strengthen further the collaboration between different organizations, and to strike a balance between maintaining domestic support and meeting international concerns. The biggest challenge ahead for environmental civil society is to develop the necessary skills to tackle the broader political, economic, and social issues that underlie environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
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22. Advocacy Coalitions in Ontario Land Use Policy Development.
- Author
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Timothy Heinmiller, B. and Pirak, Kevin
- Subjects
LAND use ,GOVERNMENT policy ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,ADVOCACY coalition framework ,ECONOMIC development & the environment ,ECONOMIC development policy - Abstract
In 2005, the Ontario government passed the Places to Grow Act and the Greenbelt Act, both major changes in land use policy designed to preserve greenspaces and combat urban sprawl in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Canada's largest conurbation. This article examines the actors, actor beliefs, and inter-actor alliances in the southern Ontario land use policy subsystem from the perspective of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). Specifically, this paper undertakes an empirical examination of the ACF's Belief Homophily Hypothesis, which holds that inter-actor alliances form on the basis of shared policy-relevant beliefs, creating advocacy coalitions. The analysis finds strong evidence of three advocacy coalitions in the policy subsystem-an agricultural coalition, an environmentalist coalition, and a developers' coalition-as predicted by the hypothesis. However, it also finds equally strong evidence of a cross-coalition coordination network of peak organizations, something not predicted by the Belief Homophily Hypothesis, and in need of explanation within the ACF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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23. Civil Society Organizations' Experiences of Participative Environmental Mainstreaming: A Political Systems Perspective of a Regional European Polity.
- Author
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Chaney, Paul
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society ,POLITICAL systems ,PRACTICAL politics ,DECENTRALIZATION in government - Abstract
This paper addresses a lacuna in the literature on environmental policy integration by exploring civil society organizations' (CSOs) experiences of participative environmental mainstreaming - a policy imperative to embed environmental concerns in all aspects of policy-making. A raft of international treaties and laws require this to be operationalized through knowledge exchange and critical engagement between governing elites and exogenous groups. Findings reveal how CSOs' participation is shaped by electoral politics, party dynamics, veto players and strategic bridging. Respondents also questioned whether mainstreaming is more concerned with legitimation, performativity and the appearance of participative policy-making than with outcomes. The wider contribution of the study is three-fold: it reveals the issues and challenges facing CSOs, it underlines the need for adaptive engagement strategies and it shows the contingent nature of state attempts to foster civil society participation in environmental policy-making. © 2016 The Authors Environmental Policy and Governance published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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24. Grassroots vs. greenhouse: the role of environmental organizations in reducing carbon emissions
- Author
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Fraser, Timothy and Temocin, Pinar
- Published
- 2021
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25. Public Participation and Environmental Justice in Biodiversity Governance in Finland, Greece, Poland and the UK.
- Author
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Paloniemi, Riikka, Apostolopoulou, Evangelia, Cent, Joanna, Bormpoudakis, Dimitrios, Scott, Anna, Grodzińska‐Jurczak, Malgorzata, Tzanopoulos, Joseph, Koivulehto, Miska, Pietrzyk‐Kaszyńska, Agata, and Pantis, John D.
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL justice ,BIODIVERSITY ,CIVIL society ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy - Abstract
The novel articulations between the state, markets and civil society arising from the shift to networked environmental governance highlight the importance of creating equal participation opportunities. Relevant questions from an environmental justice perspective are not only who participates, but also with whom, in what, why and how. In this paper, we explore public participation in biodiversity governance that has emerged after the initial designation of a Natura 2000 network in Finland, Greece, Poland and the UK by focusing on distributive and procedural justice. Our analysis, based on focus groups and document analysis, shows that new participatory arrangements have taken the modes of project-based, market, interest group and e-governance. These arrangements have been marked by problems in power and knowledge sharing, and in the distribution of conservation costs and benefits, reflecting serious deficits regarding environmental justice. Calls for public participation and wider stakeholder engagement in conservation across Europe should be followed by an acknowledgment of the diversity of perspectives, conflicting interests and social positions and their integration into biodiversity governance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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26. Resistance and Reform: Transboundary Water Governance in the Colorado River Delta.
- Author
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Gerlak, Andrea K.
- Subjects
TRANSBOUNDARY waters ,EMERGENCY management ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society ,DELTAS ,ECOLOGY - Abstract
Bilateral governance of transboundary water resources between the United States and Mexico is in flux today. Historically, the International Boundary and Water Commission ( IBWC), the joint commission by which the two countries jointly manage shared rivers, has dominated decision making and policy in the border region by defining problems and framing knowledge. However, over the past two decades, a transnational network has been emerging to restore the Colorado River Delta. In this paper, we explore how a transnational network has been operating collaboratively to shift transboundary water governance in the Colorado River Delta region toward greater participatory, science-based governance. We explore the IBWC in this context of governance change to reveal the adoption of institutional and policy reforms, along with some resistance to this change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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27. Civic Organizations and the Environment: A Comparative Study of Two Suburban Communities in Tokyo.
- Author
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Kondoh, Kazumi
- Subjects
CIVIL society ,URBAN planning ,MUNICIPAL services ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy - Abstract
This paper posits that civil society could play a role in protecting the urban natural and built environments from unsustainable development, which contributes to the formation of UHI. To investigate this question, the study compares two demographically similar municipalities in Tokyo, and examines the role of civic organizations working on environmental protection and urban planning issues and their networks in each municipality's policy. Overall, this study finds that the municipality that has developed relatively progressive environmental and urban planning policies over the past three decades, compared to the other, has a greater number of civic organizations and more networks among organizations and with municipal governments. Thus, the study concludes a positive role of civic organizations and their networks in implementing effective environmental and city planning policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
28. Ecological rationality and environmental governance on the agrarian frontier: The role of religion in the Brazilian Amazon.
- Author
-
Otsuki, Kei
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,LAND use ,GOVERNMENT policy ,CIVIL society ,RURAL development ,SOCIAL interaction ,LIBERTY - Abstract
The conventional understanding of environmental governance implicitly assumes a priori presence of citizen rationality that underpins constitution of civil society vis-à-vis state. This assumption tends to overlook the economic and ecological consequences of social interactions through which people with diverse forms of rationality gradually produce distinction between state and society and shape environmental governance as an embedded process. This paper presents a case study of spontaneous settlers called posseiros in the south-east of the state of Pará in the Brazilian Amazon and examines ways that their social interactions lead to the so-called emancipation movements for municipal making on the agrarian frontier and open civic places in which environmental governance is negotiated. It pays particular attention to the role of religion, especially the Pentecostal Church of Assembly of God in relation to the traditional Catholic Church, in influencing the posseiros' ecological rationality and the articulation of emancipation movements and argues that the focus on religion sheds new light on the linkage between the environment, livelihoods and local governance. The paper concludes by discussing pragmatic implications of the case study for promoting sustainable rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Assessing Ecological Modernization in China: Stakeholder Demands and Corporate Environmental Management Practices in Guangdong Province.
- Author
-
Yee, Wai-Hang, Lo, Carlos Wing-Hung, and Tang, Shui-Yan
- Subjects
ECOLOGICAL modernization ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,BUSINESS & the environment ,CIVIL society ,ENVIRONMENTAL activism ,LOCAL government ,STAKEHOLDERS - Abstract
This paper compares the key arguments of ecological modernization theory (EMT) with the reality of recent environmental reform in China. Based on data gathered from a survey and in-depth interviews with executives from Hong Kong-based enterprises operating in Guangdong province, we examine the changing roles of government, market, and civil society actors in the reform process, focusing on various types of pressures these actors have exerted on business enterprises. Compatible with Mol's (2006) conjectures, ecological concerns have gradually gained a foothold in existing political, economic, and to a lesser extent, social institutions. Yet, the relevant actors and their patterns of interactions differ from what EMT generalizes from Western European experiences. Specifically, local governments are assuming a more formalized relationship with firms in regulatory enforcement. Among market actors, organizational buyers along the supply chain have exerted more noticeable pressures on manufacturing firms than industrial associations and individual consumers. Civil society, while remaining less of an institutionalized actor in the environmental policy process, appears to pose a perceptible threat to at least some firms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. Transborder Environmental Justice in Regional Energy Trade in Mainland South-East Asia.
- Author
-
MIDDLETON, CARL
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL justice ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,ENVIRONMENTALISM ,SOCIAL justice ,CONSUMERS ,CIVIL society - Abstract
Copyright of Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies / Österreichische Zeitschrift für Südostasienwissenschaften is the property of South-East Asian Studies / Gesellschaft fur Sudestasienwissenschaften and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2012
31. An other political ecology of civil society reflexiveness against urban industrial risks for environmental justice: The case of the Bisasar landfill, Durban, South Africa.
- Author
-
Leonard, Llewellyn
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL ecology , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *ENVIRONMENTAL justice , *CIVIL society - Abstract
The concerns of political ecology since its beginnings as a field have been predominantly set in rural areas with limited focus on urban industrial risks. Further, debates on the global South (often from Anglo-American perspectives) have not fully appreciated the divergent and differentiated perceptions of urban risks and, therefore, everyday forms of resistance within civil society. Instead, work has mainly focused on civil society power relations against the state and industry that are driven by coherent populist political agendas. Against this setting, this paper's contribution aims to better contextualize 'other' third world localities in political ecology through a case study of urban industrial risks in the upper/middle income (as opposed to rural, low/lower middle income) country, South Africa. In doing so, the paper sheds light on the derelict aspect of civil society contestation, especially along class and ethnic lines, over urban landfill infrastructure as a livelihood resource or a health hazard. The paper draws upon frameworks of self-reflexivity and reflexive localism as complementary to the mainstream political ecology to illuminate differentiated civil society reflexiveness and therefore, aims to advance the discussion of other political ecologies. The case study of the largest formal landfill site in Africa, the Bisasar landfill situated in Durban, highlights differences underlying power relations and constraints within civil society (in leadership, social networking, resources and mistrust) that have implications for mainstream political ecology notions of civil society coherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. THE PEMBINA INSTITUTE: BALANCING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY WITH OIL SANDS DEVELOPMENT IN AN INDUSTRY-ORIENTED ECONOMY.
- Author
-
Brown, Jordan
- Subjects
- *
NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations , *OIL sands , *CIVIL society , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *ENVIRONMENTAL protection - Abstract
The oil sands in northern Alberta are receiving global attention, yet literature discussing the work of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) in the province is sparse. This paper analyzes an ENGO, the Pembina Institute, and its roles and responsibilities concerning oil sands development in northern Alberta. Although interest groups involved with oil sands development represent a variety of stakeholders, civil society has had minimal involvement in the policymaking process. This is examined in relation to the Pembina Institute's function to engage civil society. Most importantly, the relevance of the Pembina Institute in influencing the environmental policymaking process in Alberta is discussed in its various approaches to engaging the Government of Alberta, industry and civil society. This paper investigates the work of the Pembina Institute and how the organization is vital to informing Albertan civil society, which seems to be disconnected from a megaproject with long-term implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
33. The Governance of Hydro-electric Dams in Brazil.
- Author
-
McCormick, Sabrina
- Subjects
DAM design & construction ,CIVIL society ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,WATER power - Abstract
This paper examines the governance of hydroelectric dam planning in Brazil with a particular focus on two factors: first, governmental institutions that aim to provide participatory mechanisms for civil society, and second, new participatory institutions created by civil society to remedy the lack of meaningful participatory measures. One example of the latter are new collaborative research projects, which have changed dam building policies and governmental thinking about participation. It is argued here that these kinds of collaboration are fundamental to making dam-building policy more accountable to local citizens. The analysis demonstrates that lay/expert collaborations provide pathways through which affected people can contest inaccurate official scientific reports, in turn influencing the policy process. I examine six such participatory projects across the country: four are nationally based and two are international in scope. A four- pronged typology is used to analyse the processes and outcomes of these collaborations. This typology reveals multiple types of knowledge-sharing that constitute concrete means to implement participation in environmental policy, hence advancing the democratisation of environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. Public interest or private agenda?: A meditation on the role of NGOs in environmental policy and management in Australia.
- Author
-
Lane, Marcus B. and Morrison, T.H.
- Subjects
NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,PUBLIC interest - Abstract
Abstract: Non-government organisations (NGOs) have come to assume an important role in environmental policy in Australia. This paper considers the institutional impacts of an enlarged and formal role for NGOs in environmental governance. To foreground the analysis that follows, the paper theorises: (i) the structural democratisation of western societies which provides the preconditions for civic approaches to environmental governance; (ii) civil society organisations as political actors; and (iii) the link between non-state associations and democracy. Against this background, the paper surveys some of the ways in which NGOs are being formally involved in environmental policy and management in Australia. The paper proceeds to identify a series of risks associated with these approaches. The paper concludes by calling for a more nuanced and critical appraisal of the role of NGOs in environmental policy so political space might be reserved for the public interest and to ensure that the democratic effects of civil society are not diminished. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Implementation of Sustainable Development Policies in the Environmental Sector Based on e-Governance in Riau Province.
- Author
-
Rivai, Firman Hadi, Rajab, Ridwan, and Suhartono, Bambang
- Subjects
SUSTAINABLE development ,COMMUNICATION infrastructure ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society ,INFORMATION & communication technologies ,PROVINCES - Abstract
This study aims to analyze the application of e-governance in supporting the implementation of environmentally sustainable development policies in Riau Province and the factors that influence it. The research used descriptive qualitative methods using primary data collected through focus group discussions and secondary data collected through documentation techniques. The results of the study found that the Local Government of Riau Province has consistently and continuously implemented environmentally sustainable development through the Riau Hijau program. Egovernance has been well implemented in implementing Riau Hijau by collaboration between the government, the private sectors, and the civil society to succeed Riau Hijau supported using information and communication technology (ICT). The supporting factors for the application of e-governance in supporting the implementation of environmental sustainable development policies in Riau Province were: the local government's high commitment and consistency; the existence of supporting policies both macro and micro that are clear, sustainable, and systematic; policy implementers really understand the details of Riau Hijau; Riau Hijau has clear and measurable target groups and benefits; Riau Hijau is operationalized in various concrete and systematic projects and activities; Riau Hijau is supported by adequate financial resources and infrastructures; and Riau Hijau is supported by various local agencies. The inhibiting factors were that not all the relevant stakeholders make optimal use of the existing ICT facilities; there are inadequate ICT facilities and infrastructures in some areas in Riau Province; and problems in environmental issues. Based on these findings, this study recommends optimizing the use of ICT for all Riau Hijau stakeholders, and there needs to be an increase and equity of ICT facilities and infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. ItÂ’s a Problem of CapacityÂ…Or Is It? Political Will or Capacity for Environmental Protection in Developing and Transitional Countries: Will and Capacity for Environment in Armenia.
- Author
-
Chatrchyan, Allison Morrill
- Subjects
- *
ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *CIVIL society , *POWER (Social sciences) , *NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations ,DEVELOPING countries - Abstract
This paper develops a theoretical framework for analyzing the barriers to domestic environmental policy making and protection in developing and transition countries, whether they stem from the lack of political will, capacity constraints in the state or civil society, or both. Until now, most attention has focused on whether or not developing and transitional countries have capacity to address global problems. Therefore, the paper argues that there is a need to further examine the capacity of these countries to protect national or regional environmental issues. Second, the paper argues that there is a need to examine whether countries have the capacity to engage in the full spectrum of the policy making process, from problem identification, to policymaking and evaluation. Finally, the paper posits that there is a critical relationship in all countries between capacity and political will to address environmental concerns – not all environmental failures stem from a lack of capacity; many failures result primarily from a lack of political will, or from a combination of both factors. Therefore, capacity building programs that only focus on a perceived lack of capacity and do not address the lack of political willingness to protect the environment, will not be effective. While both political will and capacity to protect the environment are necessary factors to protect the local and regional environment in developing and transitional countries, political will is the determining factor. If developing or transitional countries have the political will to protect the environment, but lack capacity, state agencies and NGOs will work to build capacity. A key constraint that limits political and action to protect the environment is the existence of powerful interests that are benefiting from environmental exploitation, and the government's lack of willingness to take effective action against these interests. Here, strong societal capacity and well-developed NGOs play an important role in putting pressure on the Government to change its position and address a certain issue. The paper primarily draws on insights from environmental policy making in the transitional Republic of Armenia, but it contends that the theory could apply well to the situation in other developing and transitional countries. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
37. Conference of the Parties Meetings as Regularly Scheduled Critical Events for Global Climate Governance: Reflecting on COP 26 and the Glasgow Climate Pact.
- Author
-
Stoddart, Mark C. J., Tindall, David B., Brockhaus, Maria, and Kammerer, Marlene
- Subjects
SOCIAL movements ,CIVIL society - Abstract
In this commentary, we reflect on COP26, its outcomes, and the UNFCCC processes. While the value and results of COP meetings are often contested by researchers and activists, we highlight three areas that deserve more attention in post-COP assessments. First, the COP process creates an arena where state leaders, researchers, climate activists, and private actors regularly meet, which facilitates cooperation over time. Second, COP meetings are sites of parallel multi-level games that often result in bilateral or multilateral side agreements or initiatives. Third, COP meetings are regularly scheduled critical events, where social movements and civil society actors shape the public discourse around climate change. Our brief analysis illustrates there is still an urgent need for COP meetings as spaces that provide transparency for global climate governance, as well as media and public visibility for civil society voices, which would otherwise be lost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Radical Reorganization of Environmental Policy: Contemporaneous Evidence from Brazil.
- Author
-
Capelari, Mauro Guilherme Maidana, Pereira, Ana Karine, Rivera, Nathaly M., and de Araújo, Suely Mara Vaz Guimaráes
- Abstract
An overview of environmental policy in Brazil since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019 suggests that the rise to power of a new political elite has led to a radical change in Brazil's trajectory of climate change initiatives and environmental protection. The new elite is associated with the disruption of two factors historically relevant for the design of environmental policy: the participation of civil society in the governance of public policy and multilateralism in matters of environment policy. Uma análise das políticas ambientais brasileiras desde a tomada de posse de Jair Bolsonaro da presidência da República em Janeiro 2019 constata que o aparecimento de uma nova elite política acarretou em uma alteração radical na trajetória do Brasil com respeito às suas iniciativas sobre a mudança climática e a preservação ambiental. Houve uma perturbação de dois fatores por causa desta elite política que eram historicamente importantes pela elaboração de políticas ambientais: a participação de organizações de sociedade civil na governança de políticas públicas e o multilateralismo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. Challenges for biodiversity monitoring using citizen science in transitioning social–ecological systems.
- Author
-
Loos, Jacqueline, Horcea-Milcu, Andra I., Kirkland, Paul, Hartel, Tibor, Osváth-Ferencz, Márta, and Fischer, Joern
- Subjects
BIODIVERSITY ,CITIZEN science ,ENVIRONMENTAL monitoring ,ENVIRONMENTAL protection ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,ENVIRONMENTAL education - Abstract
Biodiversity monitoring requires sound data collection over large temporal and spatial scales in order to inform policy and conservation management. Citizen science programmes, if designed appropriately, can make valuable contributions to data collection and analyses. Moreover, citizen science has potential for both environmental education and civic participation. Recommendations on effective citizen science are available in the literature, but most existing work has come from relatively rich, industrialized countries. By contrast, there is very little knowledge on citizen science projects in transitioning economic, social and cultural settings. This paper seeks to adjust this deficit by contributing insights from our attempt to initiate a new monitoring scheme in Romania. We draw on our experience of conducting workshops, training events and camps to strengthen citizen engagement in a butterfly monitoring scheme, and discussions with many stakeholders engaged in other monitoring programmes inside and outside of Europe. We highlight four general themes that are worth considering when initiating new citizen science projects in socio-economically challenging settings: (i) engaging citizens requires a combination of formal and informal support; (ii) a culture of volunteering requires education as well as building capacity and confidence; (iii) citizen science needs active integration of both national experts and local stakeholders; and (iv) successful monitoring schemes require effective leadership. We conclude that particular attention should be paid to the cultural legacies of the target area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. The National Environment Council in Brazil and the Environmental Federalism.
- Author
-
Moura, Alexandrina
- Subjects
- *
ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *ENVIRONMENTAL protection , *CIVIL society , *ENVIRONMENTAL standards , *SUSTAINABLE development - Abstract
The paper will focus on the role of The National Environment Council (CONAMA) as the key institution of the National Environment System and how it contributes to environmental federalism in Brazil. CONAMA is composed of Representatives from all the Ministries and States, eight municipalities, Federal Agencies and Secretariats, private sector and civil society. It has a mandate for: defining environmental norms and standards for the entire country; issuing directives and standards applicable to protected areas; establishing norms and criteria addressed to the environmental licensing system, and; defining criteria for critical polluted areas. CONAMA can create technical committees for studying, assessing and suggesting standards, norms and complementary regulation. In 2002 the number of CONAMA's members increased from 73 to 109, making more difficult to build consensus. CONAMA is a political arena for negotiations among the key actors of sustainable development in Brazil . The paper questions whether the outcome of this process has contributed for strengthening environmental protection in the country by means of decentralization.. Alexandrina Sobreira De MouraResearcher of the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation Professor at the Federal University of PernambucoRecife, Pernambuco, Brazilalexandrina.sobreira@gmail.com ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
41. Is Kyoto Suffering From a Wider Disease? Explaining Participation and Non-Participation in the Kyoto Protocol and Other Major Environmental Treaties.
- Author
-
Parks, Bradley C. and Roberts, J. Timmons
- Subjects
- *
ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *RATIFICATION of treaties , *CIVIL society , *INTERNATIONAL relations ,UNITED Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992). Protocols, etc., 1997 December 11 - Abstract
In this paper we develop a sequenced theory of the environmental treaty ratification behavior of nation-states, linking proximal causal explanations of institutionalism, constructivism and realism with historical and structural insights from world-systems theory. We test this theory an index of participation by 192 states in 16 environmental treaties through April, 1999 and three scales for participation in the Kyoto Protocol. There are four main findings. Numbers of NGOs in a nation positively influences participation in environmental treaties overall, but much less so nationsÂ’ ratification or non-ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Kaufmann et al.Â’s (2003) voice and accountability index is a better predictor of Kyoto behavior than overall patterns on environmental treaties. Third, and very significantly, our new index of the share of environmental foreign assistance received by a nation is among the best predictors of participation in the Kyoto Protocol. Finally, structural dependency of nations on one or relatively few export products directly and indirectly explained nearly sixty percent of the treaty ratification rates overall and a third of Kyoto ratification behavior. This suggests that the spread of institutions and values may not create a world with more adherents to environmental treaties. We may, in fact, be approaching an upper limit in the number of countries that will cooperate on international environmental issues since their willingness and ability to participate may be structurally constrained. On the other hand, if we embed greater development assistance and wealth redistribution mechanisms within environmental treaties, there may be greater interest from those on the bottom. We have apparently uncovered an important part of the structural roots of the civil society strength and democratic institutions that drive participation in international environmental regimes. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
42. Discursive Democracy and the Civil Society Organization: The Challenge of Transmitting Environmental Justice to State Policy.
- Author
-
Dodge, Jennifer
- Subjects
- *
DELIBERATIVE democracy , *CIVIL society , *NONPROFIT organizations , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *DECISION making , *SOCIAL values - Abstract
In a policy climate increasingly dominated by experts (Montpetit et al 2004; Fischer 2003), policy-oriented nonprofits face a considerable challenge transmitting local knowledge and arguments to conversations about public issues, where the policies that will affect their lives are discussed and decided. This is particularly true in highly technological and scientific fields like environmental policy, because local knowledge lacks technical expertise. As a consequence, many public decisions are made with little input from affected communities, distorting public decisions. But academics and activists have long recognized the importance of local knowledge for addressing pressing social issues (Yanow 2004), because it reflects the social values that are at stake in any policy controversy and understanding of local conditions. Citizens can participate in meaningful ways in environmental policy and similar fields, where issues are highly complex, scientific, and technical, precisely because they have local knowledge (Fischer 2000). But how do social change organizations - civil society organizations with social justice orientations (Chetkovich and Kunreuther 2006) - transmit their local knowledge to policy conversations? To explore this question, I analyze a campaign of the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (SW Network) to bring environmental justice to New Mexico between the years of 2003 and 2007. This campaign was organized by a working group of eight affiliated organizations of the SW Network - called the EJ Working Group - who wanted to impact policy at several levels in New Mexico. Theoretically, I draw on interpretive approaches to deliberative democracy (discursive democracy) and "argumentative turn" literature. I aim to be descriptive rather than normative (Fischer 2003), and look outward from civil society toward government, rather than considering the challenge of deliberative democracy from within government (Hendriks 2006). Deliberative democracy theory presents several possible mechanisms through which local knowledge may be transmitted. I consider rhetoric (Dryzek 2000) and direct participation in deliberative venues sponsored by the government (see for example, Gutman and Thompson 1996, Fung and Wright 2000). Rhetoric carries policy ideas from the public sphere to government decision makers, either directly or indirectly through its influence on public opinion. Policy ideas based on local knowledge may also be carried directly through citizens' participation in deliberative venues. However, some would argue that this approach has inherent constraints that may distort local knowledge. Empirically, deliberative scholars often take a "macro" approach, which analyzes discourses that compete in a policy domain (Drzyek 2000, 1997), or a "micro" approach that evaluates deliberative venues based on normative principles of deliberation (Fung and Wright 2001). To understand idea transmission, I take a meso approach. This means focusing on the organizational level of analysis; paying attention to the links between the agency of political actors and broader structural forces that constrain their agency (from the institutional, socioeconomic and political context) (Dickert 2007). The focus is the process through which organizational members attempt to enter and influence deliberative spaces to transmit local knowledge. My findings suggest the ability to transmit local knowledge is based on the organization's activities to create a venue for their own free discourse within civil society, to urge for the creation of new venues for public deliberation within government to address their specific policy issue, and to open existing venues to the participation of their constituents... ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
43. Curtain down and nothing settled: global sustainability governance after the 'Rio+20' Earth Summit.
- Author
-
Bierman, Frank
- Subjects
- *
SUSTAINABLE development conferences , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *CIVIL society , *ENVIRONMENTAL protection ,UNITED Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) - Abstract
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, was probably the largest event in a long series of megasummits on environmental protection and sustainable development. Roughly 44000 participants descended on Rio de Janeiro to take part in ten days of preparatory committee meetings, informal consultations, side events, and the actual conference. Yet despite this unprecedented high attendance by participants from governments and civil society, the outcome of the conference is less than many had hoped for. In this paper I review the outcomes of the 2012 Rio conference in detail, with a special focus on its contributions towards the reform of the institutional framework for sustainable development. Following this review, I discuss the way ahead and options for structural reform to restrengthen earth system governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Addressing the Need for Just GeoHealth Engagement: Evolving Models for Actionable Research That Transform Communities.
- Author
-
Hayhow, Claire M., Brabander, Dan J., Jim, Rebecca, Lively, Martin, and Filippelli, Gabriel M.
- Subjects
COMMUNITIES ,CIVIL society ,SCIENTIFIC community ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,ENVIRONMENTAL health ,POWER (Social sciences) - Abstract
GeoHealth as a research paradigm offers the opportunity to re‐evaluate common research engagement models and science training practices. GeoHealth challenges are often wicked problems that require both transdisciplinary approaches and the establishment of intimate and long‐term partnerships with a range of community members. We examine four common modes of community engagement and explore how research projects are launched, who has the power in these relationships, and how projects evolve to become truly transformative for everyone involved. Plain Language Summary: GeoHealth research is often partnership focused. We describe four common models for community‐engaged GeoHealth research and highlight the central characteristics of each, while daylighting the lived experiences of LEAD Agency activists. We note a range of outcomes emerge which can foster science‐based environmental health policy making and lead to justice focused actions. Key Points: The GeoHealth research community often engages actively with civil society in the research enterprise, but often uses various modelsThe models of engagement, from researcher‐heavy to community‐heavy, have very different outcomesA new model of training and support is required for the GeoHealth community to more productively engage with civil society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. PRETPOSTAVKE NOVOG MODELA UPRAVLJANJA OKRUŽENJEM U SRBIJI.
- Author
-
Petrović, Mina
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society ,EMPIRICAL research ,INTERNATIONAL regimes ,ECONOMIC development - Abstract
Copyright of Sociologija/Sociology: Journal of Sociology, Social Psychology & Social Anthropology is the property of MOD International and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT POLICIES.
- Author
-
CALANTER, Paul
- Subjects
SUSTAINABLE development ,URBAN planning ,URBANIZATION ,CIVIL society ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,ENVIRONMENTAL protection planning ,NATURE - Abstract
This paper aims to analyze the environmental integration requirements of policies in urban development policies. In the analysis of human - urban - environment relations, it assumes that human society, although belonging to nature, created a civilization that alter its natural environment and prevent an artificial creation - the built environment. This environment, although artificial, however, is superimposed on the natural environment and its operation, to ensure living conditions and development of human society and be in balance with the natural environment, helping to ensure its normal development depends on the actions of the modeling people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
47. Making and unmaking of transnational environmental cooperation: the case of reclamation projects in Japan and Korea.
- Author
-
Bae, Yooil, Shin, Dong-Ae, and Lee, YongWook
- Subjects
RECLAMATION of land ,NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations ,SOCIAL movements ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,ENVIRONMENTALISM - Abstract
There has been an ongoing debate about how (or through what mechanisms) global environmental norms have influenced domestic political debates that give rise to green policy choices. In particular, effective international environmental cooperation between transnational and domestic NGOs has been recognized as a key to successful environmental movements. In this regard, the central question guiding research on the politics of environmental norms is, under what condition(s) transnational cooperation among NGOs would be more likely to be sustained so as to achieve its goals. This article proposes that one of the mechanisms missing from the debate is a bottom-up approach through which transnational cooperation can be forged by the initiation of domestic NGOs. Drawing on social movement literature, it is hypothesized that domestic environmental NGOs with more resources, challenging ideologies, and more contentious modes of protest to dominant paradigms is more likely to nurture, develop, and sustain effective transnational cooperation for environmental norms. The validity of this hypothesis is demonstrated through the examination of wetland reclamation projects in Japan and Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Current barriers and factors of success in the diffusion of satellite services in Europe
- Author
-
Secara, Teodora and Bruston, Jean
- Subjects
- *
TELECOMMUNICATION satellites , *CIVIL society , *CLIMATE change , *DIGITAL divide , *PUBLIC support , *TECHNOLOGICAL innovations , *GOVERNMENT policy , *STAKEHOLDERS , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *ECONOMIC policy - Abstract
Abstract: Satellite services benefit civil society by helping tackle challenges such as climate change, the digital divide, etc. They have the potential to deliver concrete benefits to European society through innovative services supporting economic, societal and environmental policies. Such benefits can trigger increased public support for space in Europe. However, this potential has yet to be achieved. This paper argues that technological bias, the diversity of interests and initiatives among stakeholders and their individual actions do not always serve their collective objective to ensure wide diffusion of satellite services. It draws on theories of diffusion of innovation and on its authors'' participatory work with the space and the user communities and at their interface in an effort to help diffuse satellite services within civil society. One of the major causes of insufficient service diffusion is the weakness of the interface between the space and user communities; some of factors that currently contribute to this state of affairs are the space community''s over-reliance on publicly financed, technical demonstration projects as solutions to service diffusion; insufficient coordination by public authorities of innovation policies and programmes with other public policies and objectives; and an insufficient integration of satellite services within users'' culture, traditional tools and services. The discussion allows for conclusions to be drawn on how the system of stakeholders could function better in order for satellite services to be successfully diffused in Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Adoption of the EU SEA Directive in Turkey.
- Author
-
Unalan, Dilek and Cowell, Richard
- Subjects
ENVIRONMENTAL impact analysis ,ENVIRONMENTAL policy ,CIVIL society ,LEGAL compliance ,ADOPTION ,ECONOMIC development ,SOCIAL contract - Abstract
Abstract: This paper analyses the adoption of the EU Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive (2001/42/EC) in Turkey as part of a programme of environmental policy harmonisation for EU accession, to explore the extent to which this is driving wider shifts in modes of environmental governance. To do this, rather than simply assess compliance with Directive in narrow, formal, statutory terms, we use Jänicke and Weidner''s concept of capacity building, which focuses on the constraints facing societal action to promote sustainable development. Despite the resources invested in pre-accession training and pilot SEA projects, Turkey''s adoption of the Directive is still likely to be affected by the centralised nature of the bureaucracy (affecting the scope for sectoral integration), its politicised nature (interrupting the accumulation of policy learning), the limited capacity of civil society and environmental organisations to engage with the process, and the political dominance of economic development objectives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Participation of Civil Society in Management of Natural Resources.
- Author
-
Sawhney, Puja, Kobayashi, Masanori, Takahashi, Masahiro, King, Peter N., and Mori, Hideyuki
- Subjects
- *
COOPERATIVE management of natural resources , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *NONPROFIT organizations , *POLITICAL planning , *INDIGENOUS peoples , *PRIVATE sector - Abstract
Governments are increasingly involving local communities and non-governmental organizations in the management of natural resources. The ways in which different stakeholders are involved varies from being consulted to taking a central role in planning and monitoring, and--infrequently--being given the legal right to manage resources. There can be many benefits from involving a wider group of stakeholders in natural resource management, including reducing the burden on government agencies, reducing conflicts, and greater resource efficiency. This is part of a series of eight linked papers in this special issue of the International Review for Environmental Strategies describing a study to draw from the RISPO Good Practices Inventory useful lessons for environmental policymakers in developing countries. The study was based on analysis of case studies collected by the project Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO), which was led by the Institute for Global Environmental Studies, Hayama, Japan. This study highlights how participation by different stakeholder, governments, local/indigenous people, NGOs and the private sector, in natural resource management in Asia leads to resource efficiency for the government, contributes to broader devolution of power, and reflects the changing attitude of governments towards people's participation. The findings should encourage governments to extend community management of natural resources to other ecosystems, such as coastal fisheries or production forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
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