Environmental Politics and Deliberative Democracy: Examining the Promise of New Modes of Governance
Author(s): Karin Bäckstrand (Editor), Jamil Kahn (Editor), Annica Kronsell (Editor), Eva Lövbrand (Editor)
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication Date: August 30, 2010
Language: English
Print length: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1848449542
ISBN-13: 9781848449541
Book Description
Can new modes of governance, such as public-private partnerships, stakeholder consultations and networks, promote effective environmental policy performance as well as increased deliberative and participatory quality? This book argues that in academic inquiry and policy practice there has been a deliberative turn, manifested in a revitalized interest in deliberative democracy coupled with calls for novel forms of public-private governance. By linking theory and practice, the contributors critically examine the legitimacy and effectiveness of new modes of governance, using a range of case studies on climate, forestry, water and food safety policies from local to global levels.
>Environmental Politics and Deliberative Democracy will appeal to scholars, both advanced undergraduate and postgraduate, as well as researchers of environmental politics, international relations, environmental studies and political science. It will also interest practitioners involved in the actual design and implementation of new governance modes in areas of sustainable development, food safety, forestry and climate change.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘This book offers a rare, critical examination of the ”promise” that new modes of governance – soft, flexible and collaborative – will counteract deficits in governance, legitimacy and implementation. The book is frames by a careful and scholarly review across three intersecting disciplines: green politics; deliberative democracy; and governance theory. . . . The book is clearly argued, usefully interdisciplinary and accessible without too much jargon. The case studies are interesting and relvant to the theory. . . The book provides a fascinating challenge to the normative view of the value of deliberation and new modes of governance in environmental and sustainability policy development and implementation. Scholars might like to read it in conjunction with the range of cases that provide stronger empirical evidence in support of the ”promise”.’ –Laura Stocker, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management
‘This important new book provides an excellent critical evaluation of new modes of governance in environmental and sustainability policy. The multidisciplinary team of contributors combine fresh insights from all levels of governance all around a carefully crafted conceptual framework to advance our understanding of the effectiveness and legitimacy of new types of steering, including networks, public private partnerships, and multi-stakeholder dialogues. This is a crucial contribution to the field.’ –Frank Biermann, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
About the Author
Edited by Karin Bäckstrand, Professor, Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, Jamil Khan, Assistant Professor, Environmental and Energy Systems Studies, Lund University, Annica Kronsell, Professor of Environmental Social Science, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg and Eva Lövbrand, Associate Professor, Department of Thematic Studies: Environmental Change, Linköping University, Sweden
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