Ecological Regionalism: a Synthesis of Ecological
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ECOLOGICAL REGIONALISM: A SYNTHESIS OF ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS AND ORGANICIST REGIONALISM A DISSERTATION IN Economics and Social Science Presented to the Faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by RICHARD THOMAS WAGNER M.A., Economics University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2013 Kansas City, Missouri 2015 © RICHARD THOMAS WAGNER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ECOLOGICAL REGIONALISM: A SYNTHESIS OF ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS AND ORGANICIST REGIONALISM Richard Thomas Wagner, Candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2015 ABSTRACT To realize visions of regional ecological and economic sustainability—extant the ecological economics literature—a unified understanding and philosophy of the region is needed. Additionally, this philosophy needs to be institutionally informed; i.e. aware of the social structures that contribute to ecological and economic degradation. Without such a foundation, policies related to ecological and economic sustainability will continue to face problematic adoption and in general inhibit our chance for a sustainable future. A review of the ecological economics literature shows that numerous ecological economists address regional issues, use the region as a unit of analysis, and/or advocate the construction of ecologically-based regions. However, a coherent view of the region and why regional sustainability policies should be utilized is lacking. Furthermore, while ecological economists such as Herman Daly and John Cobb have argued for a more institutionally and humanist-based ecological economic science, this has not been connected to regional affairs. As a contribution to ecological economics, this dissertation synthesizes Lewis Mumford’s conceptualization of organicist-based regionalism serving as the framework and iii philosophical foundation for a sustainable society. Mumford’s regionalism offers a superior philosophical foundation and course of action toward ecological, economic, and social sustainability that has great potential. This is because of the interdisciplinary and institutionalist basis on which the theory is grounded. This dissertation utilizes a visionary methodology found within ecological economics and provides: 1. a comprehensive analysis of how the region within the discourse and if at all regionalism is represented in the ecological economics discourse; 2. a synthesis and construction of Mumford’s organicist-based regionalism, including (a) an investigation of the current economic system for which regionalism serves as a response; (b) the delineation of organicist thought; and (c) a presentation of political, cultural, and economic regionalism; and 3. the synthesis and connection of organicist-based regionalism with applications found in the ecological economics literature. iv APPROVAL PAGE The faculty listed below, appointed by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, have examined a dissertation titled “Ecological Regionalism: A Synthesis of Ecological Economics and Organicist Regionalism,” presented by Richard Thomas Wagner, candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, and certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. Supervisory Committee Mathew Forstater, Ph.D., Committee Chair Department of Economics Linwood Tauheed, Ph.D. Department of Economics Erik Olsen, Ph.D. Department of Economics Steven Driever, Ph.D. Department of Geo Science Doug Bowles, Ph.D. Social Science Consortium v CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ....................................................................................................x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................... Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1 Outline of Chapters ........................................................................................1 An Introduction to Organicist-based Regionalism ........................................2 Understanding the Regionalist Perspective ..........................................6 Defining Regions: The Regional Survey ..............................................9 Regionalist Culture and Politics: A Philosophy of Organicism .........12 The Regional Economy: A Life Economics .......................................16 Transitioning .......................................................................................21 Literature Review ........................................................................................22 Literature Review Introduction ...........................................................22 Overview and Basic Findings .............................................................22 The Region as a Unit of Analysis .......................................................23 Generic Use ............................................................................23 The Region as a Socially Defined Ecological Unit ................27 The Region as a Metropolitan or Urban Area ........................29 The Region as an Ecological Environment: With Human Habitation ..........................................................................31 The Region as a Unit of Political Administration ..................35 vi The Importance of the Region and Regional Analysis to Achieve Sustainability .................................................................................39 Literature Review Concluding Remarks ............................................43 Methods .......................................................................................................44 Ecologically Sustainable Living: A Visionary Approach ..................45 Sustainability as a Vision ....................................................................45 A Sustainability Visionary Approach: Concluding Remarks .............47 The Method of Envisioning ................................................................49 Envisioning .............................................................................49 Analysis ..................................................................................50 Implementation .......................................................................51 2. AN ANALYSIS OF A MONETARY PRODUCTION ECONOMY: ATTRIBUTES AND SHORTCOMINGS ..............................................................54 Introduction ..................................................................................................54 The Megamachine with Megatechnics Operating in a Power Economy .....56 The Power Complex: A Brief Institutional/Evolutionary Analysis ....61 Megatechnics ......................................................................................64 The Power Economy ...........................................................................68 The Megatechnic Business Enterprise .........................................................70 Mega Deficiencies: Mass Production and Mass Satisfaction ......................77 Mega Deficiencies: Mass Automation and the Myth of Progress ......80 Mega Deficiencies: A Summary .........................................................83 3. DELINEATING AND PRACTICING ORGANICISM: THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF A REGIONAL SOCIETY ......................................................90 vii Defining Regionalism from Organicist Philosophy: Introduction...............90 Organicism, A Regionalist Methodological Commitment: Components ....91 Non-Absolutism ..................................................................................95 Holism.................................................................................................97 The Social-Individual and Mutual Aid ...............................................99 The Organicist Conception of Human Nature and Existence ....................103 The Forward Motion of Life and the Organicist View of Human Development .........................................................................................108 The Process of Organicist Human Development .......................................114 Human Development as a Social Process: A Culture of Growth .....118 Organicist Mutual Aid in Practice .............................................................121 Education in the Organicist Development Process ...........................121 The Role of Civic and Participatory Democracy ..............................126 The Regional Survey as an Expression of Organic Education and Civic Participation .........................................................................130 A One World Culture: A Regional World Based in Organicist Human Development ............................................................................137 Summary: Toward and Organicist Regional Economy .............................143 4. REGIONAL ECONOMICS: PROMOTING AN ECONOMY OF PLENTITUDE ................................................................................................145 The Life Economy: An Economy of Plentitude ........................................146 From Megatechnics to Biotechnics ...........................................................150 Property in an Organicist Regionalist Economy .......................................158 Reimagining Profits: Organicist Accounting.............................................162 Labor in a Biotechnic Regional