Unit 13 - Politics Flashcards
Our System so far has numerous institutions that make society more efficient (holding the door open for one another, institutions around economic exchanges)
Also, society is pushing people to increase consumption levels
What are the 3 Key Challenges to our current System?
Wicked problems
Growth based path dependencies
Interests & Politics
In the history of Environmental and Economic Institutions, what was the main goal for nations?
Why did that goal exist?
Growth & productivity increases have been a primary goal, in large part because it was a key factor in addressing many problems (poverty, health, quality of life)
Many people faced food shortages, or suffered from extreme weather, and producing more food / finding more efficient ways of working led to solutions for these issues
While the goal of GROWTH has been given much attention in human history, what hasn’t and why?
Goals of Sustainability has been given far less attention because the ability of humans to harm nature was limited and the long term sustainability challenges were limited in scope and nature
What is Path Dependency?
The idea that decisions we face depend on past knowledge trajectory and decisions made, in other words, history matters
Societal institutions have ‘momentum’ and significant change takes a great deal of effort and time to achieve
Just because we know of a better alternative doesn’t mean we can quickly adapt to change them
Imagine walking down 1 of 2 paths to get to a destination. If you have been walking down one path for 10 hours and realize the other might have been faster, the only way to find out would be to turn around and walk back. In the real world, major problems are tough to change because it requires so much effort to do so
What is this an example of?
Path dependency
What are the 3 types of Path Dependency
Material
Cultural
Formal institutional
What is Material Path Dependency, and what’s an example?
the physical built environment locks us in the current approaches and uses.
South Edmonton Common is auto-centric, and it is difficult to get around any other way. If Edmonton wanted to change its main method of transportation, the prior infrastructure restricts us from making effective change
What is Cultural Dependency, and what’s an example of it?
Cultural dependency is when social norms restrict/influence people away from making changes
In Edmonton, there is a cultural norm of buying a house, and if you bought a condo it would be seen as strange. As a result, less people are encouraged to buy condos, even though they are more sustainable/efficient
What is Formal Institutional Dependencies and an example of it?
legal institutions that are structured on the economy and world in the past. (i.e. zoning laws restrict Toronto from developing large scale apartments for residents).
For instance, some areas in the city can only have single-family homes built, and there exists a exhaustive process to change the zoning, which restrains change from being made
Define the Stakeholders/Interest of a particular subject?
include all individuals, groups, etc. that are impacted by or who take an active interest in a policy decision (owner of a coal mine & a coal ban is being proposed)
Most issues have many stakeholders, often with competing interests
What is power, and what are sources of it?
Power is your level of influence on a particular subject
It can be derived from fame, wealth, education and occupation (credentials)
What are the 6 Key types of stakeholders?
Politicians
The Public (People)
The Producers (Corporations & Businesses)
Environmental Groups (Civil Society)
Media
Experts (Scientists)
What are some characteristics of Politicians’ decisions?
Motivated largely by creating a better society; the decisions and actions they make are in hopes to improve society
In some rare cases, politicians are motivated by personal benefits
Also, politicians will make decisions to ensure they stay in office for the long-term
The public opinion directly affects government decisions (polling, elections) - True or False?
True
Describe Division within the Public
Some people wanted the vaccine, others didn’t. Some people believe housing prices are too high, others don’t
We can assess the public as individuals or we can also assess their interests as groups such as:
Ethnic or Religious groups, Cultural groups, Income Classes, Age Groups (boomers)
How do policy advocates use the public for their own personal gain?
Policy advocates can exaggerate the division within the public to their advantage, and use it to support their arguments
Environmental Groups (CIVIL Society) & NGOs, what do they do?
Undertake Public Persuasion through Advocacy (media engagement, political persuasion, protest)
Act as Watchdog (on industry, government, on environmental initiatives such as eco labeling, public awareness)
Fund Research that supports initiatives
Describe Direct Lobbying & its impact on Government Decisions
Corporate Lobbying & $ Contributions → influence Government Decisions
Civil Society (NGOs) Lobbying & $ Contributions → influence Government Decisions
- NGOs target their persuasion more towards the public
What happened in the Summon of the Americas Protest Video we watched? What was the main takeaway?
The video’s argument centered around “Should there be debt forgiveness?”
In this case, anti-globalism activists may not have the education and understand economics, free trade and other related concepts, but it argued that protesting keeps the world in check
And that protestors’ role is to be critical of the matter, rather than provide solutions to it
Describe Clayoquot Sound and its impact
It started very small
An old forest was going to be logged. The land had
Indigenous protection, the natural environment was rich with biodiversity
People chained themselves to the logging equipment to resist the logging
Clayoquot Sound was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2000, and the land was preserved
Greenpeace’s Role as a Corporate Watchdog (NGO)
What happened in the LEGO v. Shell case?
Shell and LEGO had a partnership with each other to put Shell stickers on LEGO
There was a protest by Greenpeace to remove the partnership between them, and it was perceived as
“Shell is polluting children’s imaginations” by having the stickers on the LEGO
Producers and what type of businesses exist
The Majority of the workforce contribute in one way or another to Production
Corporations are unique in that they are an entity that is legally separate from its owners
Most private producers are one of the following: Corporation, Partnership, Proprietorship
How do Producers Resist Sustainable Policy
Greenwashing
Public Persuasion
Fund Research & Lectures that support their arguments
Support politicians that support their beliefs (Keith McCoy creating relationships with political leaders that have strong influence)
Promote favourable media stories
Role of Researchers and Scientists
Help discover problems and solutions
They connect the public & policymakers to good science
Scientists, for example, have been the key actors in the IPCC - InterGovernmental Panel on Climate Change
What are some of the principles of journalism, and what is their intended role in society?
Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth
Its first loyalty is to the citizens
It must serve as an independent monitor of power
They are intended to be an unbiased information source for consumers, but profit motives and other external factors shift them away from doing so
Describe Impartiality replacing Objectivity
Objectivity: seeking to present the most factual interpretation of events through careful journalism
Impartiality: providing all opinions of debate equally, usually accomplished through providing those competing opinions with equal air time to present arguments
Describe Affirming Replacing Informing
Informing: educating the audience about the facts
Affirming: to provide a version of events that viewers already support. Enhances and emboldens individuals in their current beliefs as opposed to challenging them
Describe Entertaining replacing Informing
Speed in getting stories out is replacing fact checking
Led to thinner, but faster stories
Entertainment value is emphasized over accuracy and educational value
What has accelerated the rise of fabricated information?
Fabricated information in the media is not a new phenomenon, but it has found new influence with the decline of journalism and the rise of the internet
Who are some of the people behind the rise of fabricated information?
Other countries/international actors for geopolitical reasons (China & Russia have exaggerated the divide in the public)
Political activists (Trump)
Opportunists who are spreading misinformation for profit
What are the risks with the rise of fabricated information?
Issues arise when people who don’t have access to education or the time to learn about a topic, they get affected by misinformation
For instance, when the Trucker protests were going on, they accused Trudeau for setting mask requirements when those regulations were set by provincial jurisdictions
Rise of Identity Politics and “Truthiness”
Identity Politics is when media began to separate the elite class from the middle/working class, and argued that the middle class were the ones that made the America what it is
TRUTHINESS: the quality of seeming or being felt to be true, even if not necessarily true
Describe how Stephen Harper’s opinion changed on Climate Change
The Stephen Harper government, in the conservative party, was taking steps toward climate policy. They investigated a Cap & Trade system
Also, Harper said that it was the biggest threat to confront the future of humanity
However, in 2015, Harper came out and said climate change wasn’t a priority
What are some of the Key Themes around opposition to Climate Action
If we act (put in place restrictions, regulations, carbon taxes) it will put our industries and our economic growth at risk while other nations benefit.
If we act now, and others don’t, we are sacrificing our own quality of life for little benefit
There is scientific Uncertainty and Debate. In the past scientists thought the earth was cooling, now they think its warming, who knows?
Alternatives to the current situation are not feasible
What is populism
Populism is a strategy to turn one group of people against another using misinformation
Misinformation on vaccines was exaggerated by certain parties to create a divide between the people and the government (us vs. them)
Discuss the Rise of Populism in 2022
The rise of populism has created a much stronger group of people who are anti-establishment & anti-elite
Populism has existed in the past, but not to the extent that it has been taken by Trump
- Saying climate change is a hoax, government is trying to weaken the nation, etc
