Political Studies Books
| Published date | 01 June 2001 |
| Date | 01 June 2001 |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9248.00318 |
| Subject Matter | Political Studies Books |
P O L I T I C A L
S T U D I E S
B O O K S
Political Theory
334
Other Areas
381
Britain
354
International Relations
394
North America
361
Comparative
400
Europe
370
Asia Pacific
408
334
POLITICAL THEORY
POLITICAL THEORY
politics has not fulfilled the `promise' of
LIVING WITH NATURE:
the book's title. Only by eschewing instru-
environmental politics as
cultural discourse
mentalism and performativity will en-
vironmentalists be able to construct the
by Frank Fischer and
Maarten A Hajer (eds)
`green public sphere' that Torgerson
regards as an antidote to the admin-
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
istrative mind.
xiii + 269 pages, £16.99, ISBN 019829509X
THE PROMISE OF GREEN POLITICS:
environmentalism and
This is an ambitious and wide-ranging
the public sphere
book whose importance lies in its liminal
by D. Torgerson
contribution to environmental/political
theory. Torgerson sets out a spirited
Durham NC: Duke University Press, 1999.
closure-resisting defence of politics, yet
xvi + 218 pages, £11.95, ISBN 0 8223 2370 2
in his zeal to replace the `path of a move-
Readership: Environmental politics
ment' with the `space of a discourse'
students and researchers, political
he sometimes loses sight of a very proper
theorists, political sociologists
green instrumentality: `The very idea of
Rating: **** (Torgerson)
building a green movement', he writes,
*** (Fischer and Hajer)
`has distinctly instrumentalist overtones,
Reviewer: ANDREW DOBSON
suggesting the construction of a device
(Keele University)
strategically designed to effect social
change' (p. 19). Many Greens would hap-
pily plead guilty to this charge. Doing so
Surprisingly few recent books about the
does not necessarily mean `the sharp-
politics of the environment have been
ening of the movement into a finely
about the environment at all. Increas-
honed instrument' and the suppression
ingly, the environment is being recast as a
of diversity (p. 19), although Torgerson is
field on which to fight other intellectual
right to be alert to the totalizing ten-
battles regarding, for example, justice,
dencies of Northern environmentalism.
democracy,orsocialconstructionism.Doug
Torgerson's distinction between the
Torgerson's dense and serious book is no
administrative sphere and the green
exception to this new rule. As he says: `My
public sphere is very suggestive, yet
principal focus is not what it means to be
much turns on what the spheres contain.
green, but the meaning and value of
Torgerson's book prompts the question:
politics' (p. x). Torgerson's target is the
What does `politics' mean in `politics for
`monological administrative mind' (p. 20),
its own sake'? To my mind, what green
and he deploys Arendt to construct a case
politics brings to the public sphere is a
for the intrinsic value of politics. His con-
debate about the proper ends of social
cern with green politics is that it is too
life. This is not conversation for conver-
fond of argumentative closure and too
sation's sake, but agonic conversation ±
instrumental in its pursuit of environ-
which is why in the green public sphere
mental goals to be a firm friend of the
there must be room for talk about
politics he envisages. In this regard, green
closures, if not about closure.
POLITICAL STUDIES BOOKS
335
Torgerson figures in Fischer and Hajer's
routinely produce eco-managerialists, or
edited book, too, with a trenchant ac-
professional-technical workers with the
count of the way in which the green
specific knowledge ± as it has been scien-
`defence of place, even as it resists domin-
tifically validated ± and the operational
ation, can thus become part of a larger,
power ± as it is institutionally constructed
subtle process of harsher colonization or
± to cope with `the environmental crisis'
assimilation' (p. 190) in the (in this case,
on what are believed to be sound scien-
Canadian) context of conflicts between
tific and technical grounds' (p. 103). The
aboriginal peoples and ecocentric envir-
antidote, he believes, is `preservationist
onmentalists. This is one of the best essays
restoration ecology' (p. 119), but Jozef
in a rather mixed but always provocative
Keulartz might have something to say
book. Jozef Keulartz offers a fascinating
about that.
discussion of `nature developers' in the
Netherlands, broadly supported by envir-
Carolyn Egri offers a comprehensive
onmentalists but, here at least, castigated
account of nature in spiritual traditions,
for their administrative-scientific approach
but rather lamely concludes that, `If, as
to landscape policy: `The ideal behind the
many have observed, there need to be
large-scale production of new nature is
fundamental changes in the ecological
old nature. Everything revolves around the
consciousness of humankind, then one
original, untrodden nature, around `pri-
important starting point for those
meval nature' in which there is no place
changes is from within' (p. 79), without
for man or his technical artefacts. The
suggesting how this might happen, and
motto of the nature developers is not
this vagueness is compounded in Carolyn
integration but segregation' (p. 84).
Merchant's support for a `partnership eth-
ics' between humans and nature which
Wolfgang Sachs offers a suggestive tri-
`calls for a dynamic balance in which
partite distinction between the `contest',
both humans and non-human nature are
`astronaut's' and `home' perspectives on
equal partners, neither having the upper
sustainable development, claiming that
hand, yet interacting cooperatively with
the future of this contested term will
each other' (p. 214). Indeed.
depend on the forces arrayed behind each
of these definitions. YrjoÈ Haila, from
David Harvey offers two cheers for envir-
Finland, suggests that, `Through respect
onmental modernization because it im-
for and care of the particularities of
plies, `strict regulation of private property
northern nature, both fragile and robust
rights _ and in so far as it leads to action
in its own specific, extraordinary ways, we
it can de facto, through regulatory action,
humans, collectively, might learn to live
curb the possibilities for uncontrolled
together with nature' (p. 57), and Peter
capital accumulation' (pp. 170±1), and
Taylor urges us to address the difficulty of
predictably takes the opportunity (again)
environmental research by, `distributing
to stake out his differences with the en-
the complexity of the different projects
vironmental movement: `Scapegoating
(so as to) lessen(s) the pressure on any
natural limits rather than the internal
one person to convey the full complex-
contradictions of capitalism is a well-tried
ity or to deliver the resources needed
tactic' (p. 169). Hajer and Fischer are to be
for others to do likewise' (p. 134). Tim
congratulated for bringing together such
Luke performs forensic research on the
a variegated collection of essays, each of
academy and discovers, depressingly,
which bears out their opening remark
that, `These educational operations now
that, `our policy-making models must be
336
POLITICAL THEORY
reoriented around more sophisticated
in an effort to find different ways to
socio-cultural assumptions that recognize
achieve the same goals. In short: one size
the great variety of experiences involved
cannot fit all' (p. 20).
the latter are economically more dynamic,
NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT
if somewhat less egalitarian.
by Jan-Erik Lane
London: Routledge, 2000. 242 pages,
Part Three is concerned with `Where are
£18.99 pbk, ISBN 0 415 23187 6
we heading?'. It contains a number of
chapters which explore the pros and cons
Reviewer: CHRISTOPHER POLLITT
(Erasmus University Rotterdam)
of the `contracting state' Lane sees the
substitution of contract relationships for
relationships of legal or hierarchical
This is a serious work, by a senior com-
authority as central to the NPM project.
parativist scholar, about an important
`NPM is a normative theory about how
subject. Lane sees the New Public Man-
government may use a new tool for get-
agement (NPM) as a distinct theory, which
ting things done, namely contracting'.
he explores at length and then attempts
There are some excellent summaries of
to integrate with other approaches in
the advantages and disadvantages of dif-
order to find `a synthesis of NPM which is
ferent kinds of contracts, and of an im-
appropriate to the public sector of today'.
portant aspect which is often only scantily
treated in the UK literature ± namely, the
The book is organized in three parts. In
relationship between public and private
the first Lane sets out his understanding
law. He concludes that `The public con-
of the `basic approaches of the twentieth
tracting model seems highly applicable in
century' in the disciplines of public admin-
the business sector and in the interaction
istration and public management. These
between government and its political
he identifies as the Wilson/Weber `classi-
bureaux as well as between government
cal framework', the Simon-influenced
and regulators. It seems less relevant for
`management approach' and the vari-
professional bureaux in the soft sector'.
ously authored `policy framework'. He
argues that NPM is a fourth framework,
Overall, then, this is an ambitious book, of
and one that is better tuned to `modern
broad topical and geographical scope and
public governance'.
carrying a consistent line of argument. It
is predominantly theoretical ± while some
The second part is entitled `Where we
macro empirical evidence is introduced
come...
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