Constructing Sustainable Development

Neil E. Harrison is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Wyoming.

"The book takes on a challenging topic. It is written concisely. Harrison has a broad command of the literature and it shows in the presentation and analysis. His approach is generally effective in exposing some of the central dilemmas and problems of the search for sustainable development. Harrison uses postmodernism with a notable degree of effectiveness in the analysis. The analysis of the different sustainable development narratives generates a number of important insights. The book is stimulating and thought-provoking." — Brian J. Cook, author of Bureaucracy and Self-Government: Reconsidering the Role of Public Administration in American Politics"Given the growing attention to sustainable development, this book will find a home on many shelves within the scholarly community and more broadly in the environmental policy community and the lay public. Its readability makes it accessible to a broad audience, and I expect the book will be assigned in many undergraduate environmental studies programs." — Dennis Coyle, author of Property Rights and the Constitution: Shaping Society through Land Use Regulation

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1. INTRODUCTION The Problem of PolicyPolicy NarrativesConstructing an Alternative 2. SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND UNCERTAINTY Measuring SustainabilityThe Role of Uncertainty 3. THE EFFICIENCY NARRATIVE: ECO-EFFICIENCY THROUGH MARKETS 19 An Orthodox ViewMarkets and ConsumptionExclusion of Natural GoodsProblems with Private ExploitationRegulating Natural Sink7Market MechanicsMarkets and Collective ResponseEcological EconomicsConclusion 4. ORGANIZING A TECHNOLOGICAL FIX Technology and InnovationUnderstanding Technological InnovationStructural InhibitorsChoosing an Ecological Techno-Economic ParadigmConclusion 5. CONSIDERING EQUITY The Need for AuthorityThe Possibilities of PoliticsPolitics as Rational ChoiceDiscursive PoliticsThe Ecological Uses of Politics 6. SUSTAINABILITY IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM Levels of AnalysisGlobal StructuresCooperation Between SovereigntiesOpportunities for CooperationConclusion 7. A PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS Extending Legal RightsRelationship ProblemsValuing NatureSpirit and NatureChanging MindsConclusion 8. POLICY PRINCIPLES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Process and GoalsComplex Adaptive Systems and Policy PrinciplesDecision Making on PrincipleInitial Policy Directions NOTES REFERENCES INDEX