DOCSLIB.ORG

Governing Climate Change: the Politics of Risk Society?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Governing Climate Change: the Politics of Risk Society? Governing climate change: the politics of risk society? Harriet Bulkeley This paper examines how the politics of climate change have taken shape within Australia through the construction and contestation of concepts of obligation and responsibility. Beck’s risk society thesis offers a conceptual starting point from which to address questions concerning the nature of contemporary risk politics, and the paper examines its relevance and applicability in this case. While Beck’s theory provides insight into the nature of risk and directs attention to the ways in which notions of obligation and responsibility structure risk politics, it fails to engage with why, and how, particular definitions of risk and responsibility come to dominate the political arena. It is argued that in Australia the novel challenges climate change poses to the institutions of modernity have been negated through ensuing policy responses which have reinforced links between industry and government, and have defined climate responsibilities within existing relations of production and the spatio-temporal frameworks of modernity. key words environmental governance risk society climate change Australia scale environmental justice St Catharine’s College and Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN email: [email protected] revised manuscript received 5 July 2001 Introduction paper focuses on whether, and with what effects, new forms and discourses of governance have Contemporary environmental risks, from radio- been created in the context of climate change, active waste to genetic modification, air pollution and the extent to which this has engendered the to soil degradation, attract the sustained attention redefinition of environmental obligations and of geographers interested in how such issues can responsibilities within the nation-state. be managed and mitigated, how they are socially The risks posed by the onset of climate change constructed and the political conflicts they pro- have been widely debated. Sceptics suggest that voke. Developments within social theory, in par- there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that ticular related to the work of Ulrich Beck, have changes to the climate outside the scope of natural added food for thought to these geographical con- variability have taken, or will take, place. The cerns (Beck 1992; Bennett 1999; Blowers 1997; Eden influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 1996; Gandy 1997 1999; Hinchliffe 1997; Lash et al Change (IPCC) argue in contrast that ‘the balance 1996). This paper examines the relevance of Beck’s of evidence suggests that there is a discernible risk society thesis for understanding the nature of human influence on the global climate’ (Houghton climate change1 risks and politics. Beck argues that et al 1996, 5). In 1999, the Chairman of IPCC central to the politics of risk society are ‘conflicts of suggested that it is no longer a ‘question of accountability’ over how the consequences of risk whether the Earth’s climate will change, but rather can be attributed, controlled and legitimated. This when, where and by how much’ (Watson 1999).On Trans Inst Br Geogr NS 26 430–447 2001 ISSN 0020-2754 © Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) 2001 Governing climate change 431 Figure 1 The novelty of contemporary risk (after Beck 1992) the one hand, some hold the belief that, changes argued that climate change is a paradigmatic will be gradual, incremental and within societal example of the types of risk which are central to control. On the other hand, the IPCC suggest that Beck’s thesis. To examine whether or not Beck’s significant changes in global average temperatures work provides insight into the ensuing politics of and regional climatic conditions are to be expected, risk, the second section examines how obligations and that there are possibilities for unpredictable and responsibilities for climate change were alterations to the climate system (Grubb 1999; defined internationally, while the third focuses on Houghton et al 1996). The issue of how to address how these conflicts were played out domestically. the risks posed by climate change has been another The conclusion offers some thoughts on the impli- area of contention, and has spawned international cations of these findings for governing climate negotiations, domestic strategies and public con- change, and for the analysis of the politics of risk. cern throughout the 1990s. The challenges of gov- erning climate change have been apparent as nation-states struggle to come to international Climate change and risk society agreement and take domestic action. These struggles have been particularly evident in con- Beck’s thesis concerning ‘risk society’ ranges far texts where environmental and economic interests and wide: from the workplace, to family, class and are seen to be in conflict, such as the USA and community, and on to scientific laboratories, social Australia, as the recent withdrawal of support by movements and the corridors of power. At the the Bush administration for the Kyoto Protocol heart of his explanation concerning the dynamic of illustrates all too clearly. change from industrial modernity to an emergent This paper focuses on Australian climate change risk society are the new, primarily environmental, policy as a case-study through which to analyse risks created as the unintended consequence of how the politics of risk take shape. It draws enlightenment rationality (Goldblatt 1996, 155). In on research conducted during 1996–98, which placing rationality at the centre of his thesis Beck involved semi-structured interviews with policy- draws on the heritage of critical theory and its makers and interest groups, as well as the analysis concerns with the dialectics of the enlightenment, of policy material (Bulkeley 1999). Although the the role of science and technology in modernity, ‘the structure and style of Beck’s work do not lend and the need to create a renewed civil society themselves easily to systematic or analytical exami- (Gandy 1997; Harvey 1996; Vogel 1996). nation’ (Goldblatt 1996, 156), his thesis provides an entry point for examining the novelty of Risks contemporary risk, and its social and political Several features of the issue of climate change consequences. Whether contemporary environ- epitomize Beck’sdefinition of the experience of mental risks engender new social and political risk in risk society (Figure 1). First, the causes processes, as Beck argues, is debatable and of climate change lie deep within modernity.2 demands consideration in specific risk contexts. Apparently innocuous and invisible gases, such as The first section of the paper considers the methane and carbon dioxide, released as novelty of climate risks, and describes the by-products of development (the industrialization dynamics of reflexive modernization through of agriculture, increased energy consumption and which Beck suggests such risks are created. It is economic growth) change the composition of the 432 Harriet Bulkeley Figure 2 The progression of reflexive modernization (after Beck 1992) atmosphere with untold consequences. This knowledge about them’ (Beck 1992, 23). Although accords with Beck’s supposition that in risk society, climate change may be sensed by individuals, our risks arise not from a lack of modernity, as hazards understanding of the processes through which associated with poverty and underdevelopment greenhouse gases affect climate systems, the mod- might be conceived, but rather as the side-effects of elling of future changes, and the monitoring and modernization (1992, 21). In his later work, Beck recording of global climate trends is dependent on argues that the ‘world risk society’ is beset by scientific understanding. This reliance on scientific different categories of risk, those created through mediation of risk, Eden explains, leads to the development, those which arise from a lack of ‘scientization of environmental problems: they are development, and those which ensue from conflict identified and primarily constructed through the situations (Beck 1999, 34–7). Despite this acknowl- application of scientific techniques and reasoning’ edgement, it is the appearance of risks as ‘unin- (1996, 189). Simultaneously, the reciprocal process tended consequences of modernity’ created by, and occurs so that ‘science becomes politicized and providing the dynamic for, reflexive modernization drawn into policy formulation’ (Eden 1996, 189). (Figure 2) that forms the core of his thesis. Second, As science, in the form of the IPCC, was drawn the sources and experiences of climate change risk into the policy arena concerning potential courses are indeterminately distanciated over space and of action about climate change, the demonopoliz- time, stretching social and natural relations of ation of expertise occurred and debates over cause, effect and responsibility, and transcending whether the evidence warranted action dominated ‘the spatial, social and temporal limits of industrial policy arenas (Beck 1992, 155–6). This accords with risks of the past’ (Gandy 1999, 60–1). While devel- Beck’s proposition that, given the nature of con- oped countries are responsible for the vast amount temporary risks, ‘political conflicts are increasingly of emissions of greenhouse gases to date, the turning on the possession and articulation of impacts of climate change will be felt across the knowledge’ (Goldblatt 1996, 176). Given these globe and by future generations. However, as characteristics,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bridging Politics and Science: the Concept of Social Engineering in Sweden and the USA, Circa 1890-1950
    Department of History and Civilization Bridging Politics and Science: The Concept of Social Engineering in Sweden and the USA, Circa 1890-1950 Carl Marklund Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute 5 November 2008 Abstract - Contents - Prologue EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE Department of History and Civilization Bridging Politics and Science: The Concept of Social Engineering in Sweden and the USA, Circa 1890-1950 Carl Marklund Examining Board: Prof. Bo Stråth (Helsinki University, European University Institute) - supervisor Prof. Peter Wagner (University of Trento, European University Institute) Prof. Alan Brinkley (Columbia University) Prof. Yvonne Hirdman (Stockholm University) © 2008, Carl Marklund No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author BRIDGING POLITICS AND SCIENCE: THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL ENGINEERING IN SWEDEN AND THE USA, CIRCA 1890-1950 Carl Marklund Abstract This dissertation aims to problematize the historical concept of “social engineering.” In historiography, social engineering is usually understood as the application of scientific theory to political and social practice. As such, it is thought to have characterized much of early 20th century expansion of public interest and state responsibility into previously non-politicized areas of private life, especially when deceptive and/or technological in nature. It has also been seen as an expression of mechanistic “modernity” and “technocracy.” Through a comparative and conceptual histoire croisée of social engineering this dissertation studies how this concept was “spoken” in Sweden and the USA circa 1890-1950. The comparison shows that social engineering rhetoric emphasized the role of human agency and voluntarism in social change, rather than social laws or mechanistic determinism.
    [Show full text]
  • Beck's Risk Society and Giddens' Search for Ontological Security: a Comparative Analysis Between the Anthroposophical Society and the Assemblies of God
    Volume 15, Number 1 27 Beck's Risk Society and Giddens' Search for Ontological Security: A Comparative Analysis Between the Anthroposophical Society and the Assemblies of God Alphia Possamai-Inesedy University of Western Sydney There is a contention by social theorists such as Beck, Giddens, Bauman and Lash that contemporary Western society is in a transitional period in which risks have proliferated as an outcome of modernisation. In accordance with these changes individuals' sense ofselfhood have moved toward being more sensitive as to what they define as risks, such as threats to their health, as economic security or emotional wellbeing than they were in previous eras. Living in such a world can lead individuals to what Giddens would term ontological insecurity. Obsessive exaggeration of risks to personal existence, extreme introspection and moral vacuity are characteristics of the ontologically insecure individual. The opposite condition, ontological security, when achieved, leaves the individual with a sense of continuity and stability, which enables him or her to cope effectively with risk situations, personal tensions and anxiety. This emergent field of study in sociology has nevertheless poorly addressed religious issues; as if these social researchers have omitted parts of the religious aspects ofcontemporary society. This article attempts to fill this lacuna and explores the notion of risk society and ontological security with that of postmodern religion/spiritualities. Two case studies of the Anthroposophical society and Pentecostalism aid in this task. UlrichBeck(1992; 1994; 1995; 1996)andAnthonyGiddens(1990; 1991; 1994; 1999) while differing in their approaches, share similar concerns, foci and epistemological underpinnings in their work.
    [Show full text]
  • Is There a Sociodemographic Model of Acceptance of Postmaterialist Values? the Case of Serbia1
    Zoran Pavlović Izvorni naučni članak Institut društvenih nauka UDK: 316.752(497.11) Beograd Primljeno: 17. 07. 2008. DOI:10.2298/SOC0902177P IS THERE A SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC MODEL OF ACCEPTANCE OF POSTMATERIALIST VALUES? THE CASE OF SERBIA1 Da li postoji sociodemografski model prihvatanja postmaterijalističkih vrednosti? Slučaj Srbije ABSTRACT The paper offers an analysis of the factors of acceptance of postmaterialist values in Serbia. In accordance with the assumptions of Inglehart’s postmaterialist value theory, but also on the basis of empirical works of his critics, the correlation between postmaterialist values and four sociodemographic variables: age, level of education, level of family income and population size of settlement, was analyzed. The data, collected in a 2007 public opinion research including 1410 citizens of Serbia aged 15-89, indicate that all the analysed factors are important, but that age is the best predictor of these values. The conclusion discusses the adequacy of generation hypothesis as a mechanism of changing predominant values in a society and the explanatory power of the analysed sociodemographic model. KEY WORDS values, postmaterialism, generation hypothesis, Serbia APSTRAKT Predmet rada jeste analiza činilaca prihvatanja postmaterijalističkih vrednosti u Srbiji. U skladu sa pretpostavkama Inglhartove teorije postmaterijalizma, ali i na osnovu empirijskih radova njegovih kritičara, analizirana je povezanost postmaterijalističkih vrednosti i četiri sociodemografske varijable: uzrasta, stepena obrazovanja, nivoa porodičnih prihoda i veličine mesta prebivališta. Podaci prikupljeni u istraživanju javnog mnjenja 2007. godine koje obuhvata 1410 građana Srbije starijih od 15 godina pokazuju da su svi analizirani faktori važni, ali da je uzrast najbolji prediktor ovih vrednosti. U zaključku je diskutovana adekvatnost generacijske hipoteze kao mehanizma promene preovlađujućih vrednosti jednog društva i eksplanatorna moć analiziranog sociodemografskog modela.
    [Show full text]
  • Reflexive Modernization: Politics, Tradition and Aesthetics in the Modern Social Order Ulrich Beck, Anthony Giddens, Scott Lash
    To purchase this product, please visit https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/9780745612782 Reflexive Modernization: Politics, Tradition and Aesthetics in the Modern Social Order Ulrich Beck, Anthony Giddens, Scott Lash Paperback 978-0-745-61278-2 September 1994 £17.99 DESCRIPTION The theme of reflexivity has come to be central to social analysis. In this book three prominent social thinkers discuss the implications of "reflexive modernization" for social and cultural theory today. Ulrich Beck's vision of the "risk society" has already become extraordinarily influential. He offers a new elaboration of his basic ideas, connecting reflexive modernization with new issues to do with the state and political organization. Giddens offers an in-depth examination of the connections between "institutional reflexivity" and the de-traditionalizing of the modern world. We are entering, he argues, a phase of the development of a global society. A 'global society' is not a world society, but one with universalizing tendencies. Lash develops the theme of reflexive modernization in relation to aesthetics and the interpretation of culture. In this domain, he suggests, we need to look again at the conventional theories of postmodernism; "aesthetic modernization" has distinctive qualities that need to be uncovered and analysed. In the concluding sections of the book, the three authors offer critical appraisals of each other's viewpoints, providing a synthetic conclusion to the work as a whole. FEATURES * Concerns debates now at the core of social and political theory - particularly the debate about the nature of modernity. * Provides an accessible introduction to the basic ideas of the theory of reflexive modernization.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards Climate Justice: Examining Concern for Climate Change in Developed, Transitioning and Developing Countries
    Towards Climate Justice: Examining Concern for Climate Change in Developed, Transitioning and Developing Countries Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Running, Katrina Marie Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 21:26:28 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/297009 1 TOWARDS CLIMATE JUSTICE: EXAMINING CONCERN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN DEVELOPED, TRANSITIONING AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES By Katrina Running _______________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF SOCIOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2013 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Katrina Running, titled Towards Climate Justice: Examining Concern for Climate Change in Developed, Transitioning and Developing Countries and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________________________________________________ Date: (May 22, 2013) Lane Kenworthy _______________________________________________________________________ Date: (May 22, 2013) Don Grant _______________________________________________________________________ Date: (May 22, 2013) Robin Stryker Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement.
    [Show full text]
  • Legitimating Post-Fordism: a Critique of Anthony Giddens' Later Works
    ORE Open Research Exeter TITLE Legitimating post-Fordism: a critique of Anthony Giddens' later works AUTHORS King, Anthony JOURNAL Telos DEPOSITED IN ORE 24 June 2009 This version available at http://hdl.handle.net/10036/71393 COPYRIGHT AND REUSE Open Research Exeter makes this work available in accordance with publisher policies. A NOTE ON VERSIONS The version presented here may differ from the published version. If citing, you are advised to consult the published version for pagination, volume/issue and date of publication Legitimating Post-Fordism: A Critique of Anthony Giddens’ Later Works Anthony King Introduction Although Anthony Giddens describes his approach as “social” rather than “critical” theory, and although there is little obvious Frankfurt School influence in his writing, he believes “social theory is inevitably critical theory.”1 While he might aim at such a critical position, it is far from obvious that he succeeds. On the contrary, his later writings have become an apology for the status quo.2 Failing to consider his prejudices, perhaps because he thinks critique is inevitable, Giddens has increasingly vindicated predominant relations of domination. He celebrates the rise of post-traditional individuals, who have the freedom of choice to create and 1. Anthony Giddens, Profiles and Critiques in Social Theory (London: Macmillan, 1982), p. 15. 2. Patrick Baert argues that Giddens’ career comprises four periods: the first (the 1960s) includes his articles on suicide; the second (from the beginning to the middle of the 1970s) includes his writings on Marx, Durkheim and Weber; the third (from the middle of the 1970s until 1984 — the publication of the The Constitution of Society) includes his writ- ings on structuration theory; and the fourth includes everything published in the late 1980s and 1990s.
    [Show full text]
  • DEVELOPMENT of a REFLEXIVE MODERNIZATION THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE to PREDICT INDIANA RESIDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS of EMERGENT SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY by Kami J
    DEVELOPMENT OF A REFLEXIVE MODERNIZATION THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE TO PREDICT INDIANA RESIDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF EMERGENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY by Kami J. Knies A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Science Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication West Lafayette, Indiana August 2019 2 THE PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL STATEMENT OF COMMITTEE APPROVAL Dr. Mark A. Tucker, Chair Department of Agricultural Sciences Education & Communication Dr. Linda J. Pfeiffer Department of Agricultural Sciences Education & Communication Dr. Neil A. Knobloch Department of Agricultural Sciences Education & Communication Approved by: Dr. Mark A. Russell Head of the Graduate Program 3 To my family in all its entirety 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... 7 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ 8 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 9 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 11 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 11 Emergent Science and Technology through the Centuries
    [Show full text]
  • Cosmopolitan Figuration: Historicizing Reflexive Modernization
    “The Cosmopolitan Figuration: Historicizing Reflexive Modernization” Ulrich Becks kosmopolitisches Projekt Angelika Poferl and Natan Sznaider (eds.) (Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2004) pp. 177-187. The Cosmopolitan Figuration: Historicizing Reflexive Modernization Daniel Levy State University of New York – Stony Brook From Modernity to Modernization Rethinking modernity has been the immanent challenge of sociological theory during the last three decades. By introducing the phenomenon of ‘Second Modernity,’ Ulrich Beck has rendered our continuous engagement with the basic premises of modernity into an explicit enterprise and provided the vision, necessary to understand how reflexive modernization is working.1 However, attempts to delineate a distinctive era run the risk of simply being juxtaposed to ‘First Modernity.’ Like other theorists before him, Beck’s analysis of a new type of (second) modernity is at peril to de-historicize the transition from one epoch to a new one by addressing it in terms of a rupture. Initially this helps to see the contours of a new era, but eventually abstracting from the diachronic renders epochal transitions into rigid schemes. As a result, sociologists have often tended to naturalize and subsequently strip certain terms (such as, for example, the nation-state or legal-rational legitimacy) from their historical origins and our sense of their malleability. We experience them as ‚natural’ to the degree that we ignore their historical roots, as well as the cultural conditions and political contingencies of their current incarnation. Modernity is perceived in a way that indicates that people have forgotten what the modernizing process consists of. It is instructive to take a brief look at how the founding fathers of sociology conceptualized the emergence of modernity.
    [Show full text]
  • Ulrich Beck's Risk Society Versus Postmodern Politics
    Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi Pamukkale University Journal of Social Sciences Institute ISSN 1308-2922 E-ISSN 2147-6985 Article Info/Makale Bilgisi √Received/Geliş:11.08.2020 √Accepted/Kabul:07.11.2020 DOİ:10.30794/pausbed.779156 Araştırma Makalesi/ Research Article Güntay, V. (2021). "Rethinking The Global Politics and Leadership: Ulrich Beck’s Risk Society Versus Postmodern Politics" Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, Sayı 44, Denizli, ss. 405-418. RETHINKING THE GLOBAL POLITICS AND LEADERSHIP: ULRICH BECK’S RISK SOCIETY VERSUS POSTMODERN POLITICS Vahit GÜNTAY* Abstract Ulrich Beck, with the conceptualization of risk society and in his book, entitled “Risk Society” in 1992, claims that the postmodern era gave birth to a social structure adorned with risks. This situation, which arises mainly from the problem of trust, actually presents a model of society in which the silent motto of individualism and capitalism prepared by modernity. On the other hand, there is no consensus in the definitions of postmodernism, which is a widely discussed concept since the mid-20th century. However, postmodernism corresponds to situations such as globalization, heightened consumption, a change of the centralist state understanding, the commodification of knowledge, and a deformation in lifestyle. Social control mechanisms and the limitations, as Beck stated, nurture this belonging from their former strength. The melting state, which can be observed at different scales in every society, becomes more visible along with some developments. Globalization and mobility, the increased complexity of education and business life, the erosion of the cyber realm and the mechanism of law are just a few areas, underlined in the present trial.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study on the Effect of Cultural and Economic Insecurity on Authoritarian Attitudes Depending on Level of Post-Materialism
    DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE THE EFFECT OF CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC INSECURITY ON AUTHORITARIAN ATTITUDES A study on the effect of cultural and economic insecurity on authoritarian attitudes depending on level of post-materialism Sara Nagi Master’s Thesis: 30 higher education credits Program: Master’s Program in Political Science Date: 27/05/2019 Supervisor: Amy Alexander Words: 8945 Abstract This thesis explores the relationship between cultural and economic insecurity in post- materialist and materialist countries. This is done using OLS regression to test whether the effect of different forms of insecurity on authoritarian attitudes differs between materialist and post-materialist countries. Whilst previous research has focused primarily on economic factors affecting democratic backsliding, this thesis argues that in societies where cultural questions dominate, other forms of existential insecurity may threaten democratic values. Using Ulrich Beck’s theories on the world risk society and reflexive modernization, it is argued that we are living in a time of greater cultural change and cultural risk. Individuals who feel heightened cultural insecurity may be more prone to favor authoritarian leadership at the expense of civil liberties. In materialist countries where economic values dominate, it is believed that the main sources of insecurity will stem from economic factors rather than cultural ones. Where economic questions dominate, support for authoritarian leadership is sought to protect material interests. Where cultural questions dominate, support for authoritarian leadership is sought to protect cultural interests. The results confirm that cultural insecurity influences authoritarian attitudes and that there is greater effect past a certain threshold of post-materialism. Economic insecurity has no effect in either materialist or post-materialist countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Affluence, Poverty and the Idea of a Post-Scarcity Society
    UNITED NATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DP 63 AFFLUENCE, POVERTY AND THE IDEA OF A POST-SCARCITY SOCIETY by Anthony Giddens UNRISD Discussion Papers are preliminary documents circulated in a limited number of copies to stimulate discussion and critical comment. May 1995 Preface As Anthony Giddens notes in the opening pages of this essay, we live in a world which — far from becoming more orderly and predictable — seems increasingly to run out of control. This sense of crisis and disorientation was a theme emerging repeatedly at the UNRISD conference on Rethinking Social Development, held in conjunction with the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen on 11-12 March 1995. At the event, ten distinguished social scientists and writers — Ralf Dahrendorf, Amitai Etzioni, Johan Galtung, Anthony Giddens, Eric Hobsbawm, Fatema Mernissi, Tetsuo Najita, Emma Rothschild, Wole Soyinka and Tatyana Tolstaya — explored and interpreted the current social crisis and sketched alternative scenarios for the future. For Professor Giddens, what is striking about today’s world is not that it is more uncertain than in previous generations, but that the sources of uncertainty are changing. If in the past the risks faced by most people were generated by forces (whether natural or divine) considered to lie beyond human control, we now increasingly confront new forms of uncertainty which are created by our own attempts to alter nature and to change the course of history. Thus there is a shift from what Giddens calls external to man-made or manufactured risk. The “end of nature” and the attenuation of tradition, brought about during the past several decades as part of a process of accelerated modernization on a global scale, increase the need for conscious reflection on many aspects of life formerly considered to be givens.
    [Show full text]
  • Globalization, Reflexive Modernisation, Development And
    Globalisation, reflexive modernisation, and development: the case of India David Pick and Kandy Dayaram Author affiliations: David Pick Lecturer in Management Curtin University of Technology Kandy Dayaram Lecturer in Management Curtin University of Technology Corresponding author: David Pick Curtin Business School Curtin University of Technology GPO Box U1987 Perth Western Australia 6845 Ph: + 61 8 9266 2705 Fax: +61 8 9266 7897 e-mail: [email protected] 1 Author biographies: David Pick is a Lecturer in Management at Curtin Business School, Curtin University of Technology. His research interests focus on public policy and management paying particular attention to examining the influences and effects of reflexive modernisation and globalisation. Kandy Dayaram has a Doctorate in Public Management and is a lecturer at Curtin University of Technology. Her research interests are in change, strategic policy analysis and international management. 2 Globalisation, reflexive modernisation and development: the case of India Abstract Purpose: the purpose of this paper is to use the theoretical insights provided by reflexive modernisation in examining the effects of globalisation on the development policies and trajectories of India. Approach: after a presentation of the main ideas and concepts of reflexive modernisation and globalisation, the principal characteristics of the reflexive modernisation of India are identified and discussed. Findings: this paper demonstrates that the development path taken by India is characterised by ambiguity, contradiction, and paradox. There is much doubt, uncertainty, and debate in academic, political, and social forums about whether India is on the right development path as the nation attempts to graft western-style capitalist structures and technologies onto traditional ways of life.
    [Show full text]