Environmental Problem-Solving: Balancing Science and Politics Using Consensus Building Tools

Lawrence Susskind, Bruno Verdini, Jessica Gordon, Yasmin Zaerpoor

Description

A self-paced curriculum for learning the basic techniques government agencies, citizen action groups, corporations and research institutions use to solve pressing environmental problems.

The book is divided into four sections: The first section focuses on how certain environmental problems can only be solved through active government efforts to implement policies that effectively take science and politics into account. This section introduces readers to foundational concepts, including the steps in the US federal environmental policy-making process, and offers an action-oriented analysis of how environmental policy gets implemented and how practitioners can use comparative analysis of public policy in environmental problem-solving. It concludes with questions about the possibility of a unified theory of environmental policy making. The section empowers readers to develop, through carefully designed assignments, a framework to shape an action plan to solve specific environmental problems.

The next section focuses on formulating a sound philosophical basis for taking action in environmental problem-solving situations. This includes a discussion of several ethical frameworks that practitioners can use to underpin the actions they propose. This section begins with a general overview of environmental ethics, and then moves to a discussion of utilitarianism versus intrinsic value, deep green approaches to environmental problem-solving, the debate over sustainability versus economic growth, and how science and indigenous knowledge can be applied in a wide range of environmental problem-solving situations. The section empowers readers to take a stand on these debates, drawing on practical cases with worked examples.

The penultimate section helps environmental practitioners understand how to use various analytical tools. It includes a quick survey of traditional and non-traditional evaluation techniques, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each, focusing on environmental impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, ecosystem services analysis, risk assessment, simulation and modeling, and scenario planning. This section prepares readers to practice multi-party environmental problem-solving, and to identify the power of each tool to enhance environmental problem-solving, developing the judgment to enumerate strengths and weaknesses as they see them playing out in practice.

The concluding section is a survey of the theory and practice behind mobilizing support for particular problem-solving efforts. It includes discussions of democratic decision-making and environmental problem solving, how the public can be brought in as a partner, methods of collaborative decision-making, the idea of consensus building, and how politics and power sway collective action efforts.

Sujets

• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Public policy

Informations

• Publié par: Anthem Press
• Date de parution: 31 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781785271335
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Environmental Problem-Solving: Balancing Science and Politics Using Consensus Building Tools
Environmental Problem-Solving: Balancing Science and Politics Using Consensus Building Tools
Guided Readings and Scenario Assignments from MIT’s Training Program for Environmental Professionals
Lawrence Susskind, Bruno Verdini, Jessica Gordon and Yasmin Zaerpoor
Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company
www.anthempress.com
This second edition is first published in UK and USA 2020
by ANTHEM PRESS
75–76 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HA, UK
or PO Box 9779, London SW19 7ZG, UK
and
244 Madison Ave #116, New York, NY 10016, USA
First published in the UK and USA by Anthem Press 2017
© 2020 Lawrence Susskind, Bruno Verdini, Jessica Gordon and Yasmin Zaerpoor
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN-13: 978-1-78527-131-1 (Hbk)
ISBN-10: 1-78527-131-8 (Hbk)
This title is also available as an e-book.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Credits and Permissions
INTRODUCTION
Unit I: INFLUENCING THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY-MAKING PROCESS
Introduction
Commentaries and Reading Excerpts
Steven Cohen — Understanding Environmental Policy
Michael Howlett, M. Ramesh and Anthony Perl—Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles & Policy Subsystems
Lawrence Susskind — “The Environment and Environmentalism”
Elinor Ostrom — The Future of the Commons: Beyond Market Failure and Government Regulations
Scenario Assignment: Policy Evaluation
Scenario Assignment: Comparative Policy Analysis
End of Unit I Written Assignment: National Environmental Policy-Making
First Example Response to Assignment
Second Example Response to Assignment
Unit II: ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM-SOLVING
Introduction
Commentaries and Reading Excerpts
Joseph R. DesJardins — Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy
Jason Corburn — Street Science: Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice
Scenario Assignment: The Precautionary Principle
Scenario Assignment: Sustainability v. Economic Development
Scenario Assignment: Local Knowledge v. Expert Knowledge
End of Unit II Written Assignment: Environmental Ethics
First Example Response to Assignment
Second Example Response to Assignment
Unit III: DEVELOPMENTS IN POLICY AND PROJECT ANALYSIS
Introduction
Commentaries and Reading Excerpts
Lawrence Susskind, Ravi K. Jain and Andrew O. Martyniuk — “How Environmental Policy Studies Can Be Used Effectively” and “How Policy Studies Should Be Organized.”
Arwin van Buuren and Sibout Nooteboom — “Evaluating Strategic Environmental Assessment in The Netherlands: Content, Process and Procedure as Indissoluble Criteria for Effectiveness.”
David Pearce, Giles Atkinson and Susana Mourato — “Executive Summary,” “The Stages of Practical Cost-Benefit Analysis” and “Cost- Benefit Analysis and Other Decision- Making Procedures.”
Robert Costanza, Rudolf de Groot, Paul Sutton, Sander van der Ploeg, Sharolyn J. Anderson, Ida Kubiszewski, Stephen Farber and R. Kerry Turner — “Changes in the Global Value of Ecosystem Services.”
Donald Ludwig —“Limitations of Economic Valuation of Ecosystems.”
Howard Kunreuther and Paul Slovic —“Challenges in Risk Assessment and Risk Management.”
John Sterman —“A Skeptic’s Guide to Computer Models.”
“Scenario Planning,” “Scenario Methodology” and “Driving Forces.” In Puget Sound Future Scenarios. UW Urban Ecology Research Lab, University of Washington.
Scenario Assignment: Cost-Benefit Analysis
Role-Play Exercise Assignment: Negotiating Societal Risk Assessment
End of Unit III Written Assignment: Environmental Assessment
First Example Response to Assignment
Second Example Response to Assignment
Unit IV: COLLECTIVE ACTION TO SOLVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Introduction
Commentaries and Reading Excerpts
Lawrence Susskind and Jeffrey Cruikshank — “Convening,” “Assigning Roles and Responsibilities,” “Facilitating Group Problem Solving,” “Reaching Agreement” and “Holding Parties to Their Commitments.” In Breaking Robert’s Rules. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ian Shapiro — “Aggregation, Deliberation, and the Common Good.” In State of Democratic Theory. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Mark Sagoff — “At the Shrine of Lady Fatima; Why Political Questions Are Not All Economic.” In The Economy of the Earth: Philosophy, Law, and the Environment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lawrence Susskind and Connie Ozawa — “Mediated Negotiation in the Public Sector: The Planner as Mediator.” Journal of Planning Education and Research.
Eugene A. Rosa, Ortwin Renn and Aaron McCright — “Risk Governance: A Synthesis.” In Risk Society Revisited: Social Theory and Governance. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Garrett Hardin — “The Tragedy of the Commons.” Science Journal.
Elinor Ostrom — “Reflections on the Commons.” In Governing the Commons. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Scenario Assignment: Public Participation Strategies
Scenario Assignment: Regional Consensus Building
Scenario Assignment: Environmental Dispute Resolution
End of Unit IV Written Assignment: Public Interest and Group Decision-Making
First Example Response to Assignment
Second Example Response to Assignment
FINAL EXAM
Questions
Sample Responses to Select Exam Questions
CONCLUSIONS
Biographies
References
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is meant as a window into a beloved MIT course (11.601) created by Professor Lawrence Susskind. The structure reflects the commitment to nurture environmental professionals through their study of environmental policy in a way that helps them identify their own personal theory of practice. Whether or not they explicitly realized it at the time, generations of students have profoundly influenced the shape of the course over the years, and as such, the book invites readers to explore classics from six different decades as a springboard to further complement and explore new and crucial threads in decades to come.
We, therefore, want to extend our gratitude to all the students in 11.601, with particular mention to those who shared their work as examples in addressing the questions posed by the scenario assignments and exams. We are also grateful for Kathleen Schwind’s efforts to secure copyrights for the excerpts, Kelly Heber Dunning’s early insights, Takeo Kuwabara’s generous planning, Julie Herlihy’s careful coordination, as well as Daniel Glenn’s impactful editing. This book would not have come to fruition without the good-natured collaboration between the authors in partnership with Anthem and our loved ones.
Thank you!
CREDITS AND PERMISSIONS

Cohen, Steven. 2014. “‘Understanding Environmental Policy’ and ‘A Framework for Understanding the Environmental Policy Issue.’” In Understanding Environmental Policy . New York: Columbia University Press. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Corburn, Jason. 2005. “Local Knowledge in Environmental Health Policy.” In Street Science: Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Costanza, Robert, Rudolf de Groot, Paul Sutton, Sander van der Ploeg, Sharolyn J. Anderson, Ida Kubiszewski, Stephen Farber and R. Kerry Turner. 2014. “Changes in the Global Value of Ecosystem Services.” Global Environmental Change. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
DesJardins, Joseph R. 2013. Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy. Belmont: Wadsworth. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Hardin, Garrett. 1968. “The Tragedy of the Commons.” Science. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Howlett, Michael, M. Ramesh and Anthony Perl. 2009. Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles & Policy Subsystems . Ontario, Canada: Oxford University Press. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Kunreuther, Howard, and Paul Slovic. 1996. “Challenges in the Risk Assessment and Risk Management.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science . Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Ludwig, Donald. 2000. “Limitations of Economic Valuation of Ecosystems.” Ecosystems . Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Ostrom, Elinor. 1990. “Reflections on the Commons.” In Governing the Commons . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Ostrom, Elinor. 2012. The Future of the Commons: Beyond Market Failure and Government Regulations. London: Institute of Economic Affairs. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Pearce, David, Giles Atkinson and Susana Mourato. 2006. Cost Benefit Analysis and the Environment: Recent Developments. Paris: OECD. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Rosa, Eugene A., Ortwin Renn and Aaron McCright. 2014. “Risk Governance: A Synthesis.” In Risk Society Revisited: Social Theory and Governance. Philadelphia: Temple Univ