Suchergebnisse

Environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) play important roles in international politics, appearing to be motivated by a cosmopolitanism that transcends the nation-state & presents challenges to international organizations. The role of ENGOs & the norms they advance in the development of international institutions of the environment is subjected to critical scrutiny. Rather than transforming such institutions, ENGOs operate within arenas that are structured by those institutions. Moreover, ENGOs cannot escape the web of national & regional interests. The ENGO with the greatest claim to cosmopolitanism (Greenpeace) on the most global issue (climate change) frequently supports some interests while weakening the claims of others. ENGOs & the norms they stand for can reconstruct interests, but a complete understanding still requires consideration of interests. 83 References. Adapted from the source document.

Concern about international environmental governance has shifted from the problems in having multilateral environmental agreements adopted to trying to ensure that the agreements which are negotiated are implemented, and that they produce positive environmental outcomes. This article argues that features of the international policy process which assist domestic policy adoption, especially scientific reductionism and moral suasion, can undermine the chances of policy implementation. This is often because business interests which are marginalised during policy adoption are more influential at the domestic level at which policy must be implemented. This asymmmetry is explained by suggesting that — rather than their being 'two‐level games' (as Putnam suggested) — there are (in Lowi's terms) distinctive arenas of power at the the international and national levels. Improving policy effectiveness requires the distribution of power in each arena to be made more symmetrical.

Robert J. Spitzer ("Promoting Policy Theory: Revising the Arenas of Power," Policy Studies Journal, 1987, 15, 675-689) has proposed a revision of Theodore J. Lowi's theory of "arenas of power" or policy types (see SA 15:1/66B9288) in which the category of regulatory policy is divided into "old" (economic) regulation & "new" (social) regulation. It is argued that while this revision accounts for many of the exceptions that could not be fitted into the original category, it also destroys much of the elegance of the original formulation, ie, its simplicity & power. The original basis for Lowi's scheme is reexamined, & it is suggested that the policy categories be recast in terms of the distribution of costs & benefits involved, giving explicit attention to other factors that can affect the scope of conflict (eg, willful issue definition & redefinition). This revision retains the elegance of the original theory, captures the inherently dynamic nature of the policy process, & links Lowi's theory to other major ones in the study of public policy. In An Assessment of Kellow's "Promoting Elegance in Policy Theory," Lowi (Cornell U, Ithaca, NY) praises the originality & brilliance of the criticisms & new ideas offered here, but laments that they are not fully developed. The behavioral & historical dynamism of the original scheme is defended, & its position on the relationship between government coercion & participation in politics & policy issues is clarified. It is conceded that too much emphasis was placed on the expectations & perceptions of political participants; these are now argued to be secondary to the nature of the proposals/policies themselves. The nature, character, & subdivisions of coercion must be incorporated into future theories of the policy process. K. Hyatt

Abstract: This paper considers but rejects a thesis that there is some sort of 'technological imperative' in operation in the process of electricity planning which requires the integration of electricity generating systems with large industrial consumers. It is argued that there is nothing about the technical features of electricity generation and supply that does not translate into costs and benefits (which can be subsequently paid, enjoyed or ignored by decision‐makers). Instead a Galbraithian thesis of technocracy is examined, but this is found to be insufficient to explain fully the electricity planning process in Australia and New Zealand and the relationship of that process to electricity‐intensive industry. After examining cases of forecasting and planning in New Zealand and Tasmania (both predominantly reliant on intensive hydro‐electric systems), it is concluded that a full appreciation requires an understanding of the relationship between government and business, a relationship which is rooted long ago in the colonial origins of both countries.

The political ecology of Pseudonovibos spiralis and the virtuous corruption of virtual science -- The political ecology of conservation biology -- Climate science as 'post-normal' science -- Defending the litany : the attack on The skeptical environmentalist -- Sound science and political science -- Science and its social and political context.