Varieties of sustainability: The local expression of a global norm [Jörg Balsiger]
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Transcript of Varieties of sustainability: The local expression of a global norm [Jörg Balsiger]
Varieties of Sustainability:The local expression of a global norm
Jörg BalsigerETH Zurich and University of Geneva
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010
‘Domesticating’ a ‘globalized’ norm
● (In IR), norms are shared beliefs and expectations about what constitutes appropriate behavior in a given situation.
● (In IR), norms emerge from international cooperation, are anchored in ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ legal instruments, and transposed domestically.
● (In IR), theoretical and empirical interest involves whether (compliance) and how (implementation) a norm is applied; rarely a focus on how it is understood.
● The global(ization of the) norm of ‘sustainable development’ - a familiar story of clarity (e.g. guidelines) and ambiguity (e.g. substitutability)
● What can we learn about SD from mountain regions?
What sustainable development?
Economy Environment Society
Agricultural GDP per capita Forest area Forest area for protection of humans/infrastructure
Use of forest growing stock Agricultural area Visitors in recreational forests
Rural road density Forest growing stock Cultural objects
Economic value of water Forest growing stock Farm and forestry employment
Public agriculture budget Ecological compensation area Integrated water management
Farm and forestry income Protected areas Participatory landscape planning initiatives
Firm closures in forestry and agriculture
Water contamination Associational life
● Project context: CCES-Mountland (ETH Domain)
● Method: Surveys in six ‘case environments’ for ranking SD indicators
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010
Cases
Bullet (Agroforestry)
Parc Jura Vaudois (Regional Parkdevelopment)
3. Rhone Correction, Priority Measure Visp (Integrated Water Resource Management)
Integralmelioration Visp-Baltschieder-Raron & Brigerbad-Visp-Lalden (Integrated land reform)
Landschaftsentwicklungs-konzept Brig-Salgesch (Integrated landscape development)
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010
Hypotheses
Case characteristics● SD dimensions most relevant to the case environment are rated
highest● The narrower the case environment’s thematic focus, the less
balanced the SD understanding
Political sector● Environmental indicators will be rated highest by NGOs; economic
indicators by the private sector; and social indicators by government● Government will rate SD dimensions most equally
Level● Environmental indicators will be rated highest by national-level actors;
economic indicators by municipal/regional actors● Who will rate SD dimensions most equally?
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010
Findings – Case characteristics
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010
Econ Env Soc0
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2
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Bullet (agroforestry)Parc JV (park development)PM Visp (IWRM)IM VBR (land reform)IM BLV (land reform)LEK BS (landscape planning)
Bullet (agroforestry)
Parc JV (park development)
PM Visp (IWRM)
IM VBR (land reform)
IM BLV (land reform)
LEK BS (landscape planning)
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
SD Balance
Environmental, economic, and social indicators most highly rated in park project
SD dimensions most and least equally
rated in land reform
Findings – Political sector
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010
Econ Env Soc0
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GovernmentPrivate sectorNGOs
Government
Private sector
NGOs
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
SD Balance
Government rates SDDimensions most equally
NGOs rate environmental indicators highest
Private sector rates economic indicators highest
()
Government rates social indicators highest
Findings - Level
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010
Econ Env Soc0
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MunicipalRegionalCantonalNationalInternational
Environmental indicators rated highest by (inter)national level actors
Economic indicators rated highest by municipal & regional actors
Municipal
Regional
Cantonal
National
International
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
SD Balance
SD dimensions rated more equally by municipal than by
national actors(parallel survey with federal
agents shows lower balance than cantonal actors)
Conclusions
● Significant diversity in local understanding / rating of sustainable development, both in terms of individual indicators and balance among SD dimensions.
● Preliminary results suggest that political sector is a more significant driver of variation in SD understanding than case characteristics or level of government.
● Balanced rating of SD dimensions does not scale up linearly, but the municipal actors rate them more equally than their national counterparts.
● Implications: ‘Principled domestication’ of a global norm through diversity in local expression ?
Global Change and the World’s Mountains | Perth, Scotland | 26-30 September 2010