Maria-Therese Gustafsson - Böcker

The scholarly debate on deliberative democracy often suggests that participatory processes will contribute to make environmental governance not only more legitimate and effective, but also lead to the empowerment of marginalized social groups. Critical studies, however, analyse how technologies of governance make use of participation to draw boundaries that separate technical knowledge from political concerns, direct the focus towards procedural aspects and contractual obligations, and reinforce hegemonic understandings of development and of local people’s relationships to their environment. This book focuses on the dynamics and use of participatory mechanisms related to the rapid expansion of the extractive industries worldwide and the ways it increasingly affects sensitive natural environments populated by indigenous and other marginalized populations. Nine empirically grounded case studies analyse a range of participatory practices ranging from state-led and corporation-led processes like prior consultation and Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), compensation practices, participatory planning exercises and the participation in environmental impact assessments (EIAs), to community-led consultations, community-based FPIC and EIA processes and struggles for community-based governance of natural resource uses. The book provides new insights through a combination of different theoretical strands, which help to scrutinize the limits to deliberation and empowerment on the one hand, and on the other hand to understand the political resistance potential that alternative uses of participatory mechanisms can generate. The chapters originally published as a special issue of Third World Quarterly.

The scholarly debate on deliberative democracy often suggests that participatory processes will contribute to make environmental governance not only more legitimate and effective, but also lead to the empowerment of marginalized social groups. Critical studies, however, analyse how technologies of governance make use of participation to draw boundaries that separate technical knowledge from political concerns, direct the focus towards procedural aspects and contractual obligations, and reinforce hegemonic understandings of development and of local people’s relationships to their environment. This book focuses on the dynamics and use of participatory mechanisms related to the rapid expansion of the extractive industries worldwide and the ways it increasingly affects sensitive natural environments populated by indigenous and other marginalized populations. Nine empirically grounded case studies analyse a range of participatory practices ranging from state-led and corporation-led processes like prior consultation and Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), compensation practices, participatory planning exercises and the participation in environmental impact assessments (EIAs), to community-led consultations, community-based FPIC and EIA processes and struggles for community-based governance of natural resource uses. The book provides new insights through a combination of different theoretical strands, which help to scrutinize the limits to deliberation and empowerment on the one hand, and on the other hand to understand the political resistance potential that alternative uses of participatory mechanisms can generate. The chapters originally published as a special issue of Third World Quarterly.

As private companies assume a growing role in climate adaptation, their strategies may harm society and ecosystems unless grounded in responsible business conduct. This Element offers a new perspective on responsible business conduct in climate adaptation, presenting a theoretical framework that explains how regulatory and political factors external to firms influence their consideration of societal needs when adapting to climate change. Using a novel quantitative and qualitative dataset, the Element shows that the world's largest mining companies have primarily addressed climate risks through conventional corporate social responsibility strategies rather than procedural components of responsible business conduct, such as risk assessments, participation, and transparency. The results suggest this outcome is best explained by a combination of weak governance, lax voluntary standards, and civil society advocacy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

As private companies assume a growing role in climate adaptation, their strategies may harm society and ecosystems unless grounded in responsible business conduct. This Element offers a new perspective on responsible business conduct in climate adaptation, presenting a theoretical framework that explains how regulatory and political factors external to firms influence their consideration of societal needs when adapting to climate change. Using a novel quantitative and qualitative dataset, the Element shows that the world's largest mining companies have primarily addressed climate risks through conventional corporate social responsibility strategies rather than procedural components of responsible business conduct, such as risk assessments, participation, and transparency. The results suggest this outcome is best explained by a combination of weak governance, lax voluntary standards, and civil society advocacy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

This book explores how different corporate governance strategies affect community mobilization and the scope for influence when an area’s population is faced with the arrival of the extraction industry.

This book explores how different corporate governance strategies affect community mobilization and the scope for influence when an area’s population is faced with the arrival of the extraction industry.