Bureaucratic vs democratic environmentalism Flashcards
When did the industrialised state emerge?
1900s
What does the industrialised state mean?
Taxes, departments etc…
What are the two things capitalist states care about?
- Steady economic growth- where material power comes from
* Social legitimacy- creating a context in which the general public agrees with the state
Why is unregulated capitalism a threat to the state?
Creates economic booms and busts in growth, so every time states have to create new arms to deal with this
Why is the environmental crisis a threat to the state?
- Crisis created by unreg cap and it undermines legitimacy of state
- Threatens continuity of capitalism- where state gets all its revenue i.e. taxes
What does the state do in response to the enviro crisis?
1- Try to legitimise itself
2- Stabilise capitalism
How does the state try to legitimise itself in regards to enviro crisis?
- Can’t use coercion in a democratic state- therefore needs to provide regulations/ laws/ subsidies vs China or Saudi Arabia
- Co-opt oppositional movements- if a movement is strong enough it will get a department i.e. Department of Labour
What is a historical example of the state trying to legitimise itself in regards to enviro crisis?
• 70s enviro movement- Department of Environment creation
How does the state attempt to stabilise capitalism?
- Regulations- otherwise businesses will engage in reckless practices in the chase for profit
- e.g. of 31 recessions in the us between 1850-1930
- Regulations important because state’s legitimacy and economic power relies on growth
- irony of the right claiming communists like stronger regs- when regs are to make capitalism more stable
What is the car analogy in explaining the role of regulation in stabilising capitalism?
Analogy: car- why does it have brakes- so it can stop- no its so that the car can go fast
What are the state’s two important roles in relation to the environment for its own gain (maintaining economic growth and social legitimacy)?
1- Prevent businesses from pursuing destructive enviro practices
2- Placate/ appease oppositional strength of the green movement
What mechanism do states use to regulate the enviro?
Bureaucracies- problems industries have created are too big for people acting along- need coordinated bureaucracies that can break problems down into subsets and assign the best qualified people to deal with them
What are the 4 benefits of bureaucracies?
1- Efficiency- huge problem made small i.e. pollution, mining, chemicals.
• Pollution becomes air, water…
• Then: regions, types of pollutant
2- Less political interference
• Use political career civil servants- politicians/ businesses don’t have power
3- Experts- most knowledgeable people making decisions
4- History of success i.e. endangered species act, clean water act etc
What are limitations of bureaucracies
- Centralisation of decision-making
- No experts know more than all of society
- Too insular- no testing/ criticism of decisions
- Are unpopular- neolibs attack- saying corporation need to make profit not be regulated
- Regulation and capital flight- reg hard in globalised world- corps leave if regs too strict, then state fears losing access to tax
What are the positives of using democracy to create sustainability?
1- democracy is intelligent- brain of pop rather than just scientists
2- democracy activates civic sensibilities- long-term thinking, forces us to scrutinise our views on enviro
3- dynamic- constantly new movements coming about
