Oran R. Young - Böcker

Global environmental change often seems to be the most carefully examined issue of our time. Yet understanding the human side--human causes of and responses to environmental change--has not yet received sustained attention. Global Environmental Change offers a strategy for combining the efforts of natural and social scientists to better understand how our actions influence global change and how global change influences us. The volume is accessible to the nonscientist and provides a wide range of examples and case studies. It explores how the attitudes and actions of individuals, governments, and organizations intertwine to leave their mark on the health of the planet. The book focuses on establishing a framework for this new field of study, identifying problems that must be overcome if we are to deepen our understanding of the human dimensions of global change, presenting conclusions and recommendations.

Resource Regimes: Natural Resources and Social Institutions by Oran R. Young explores how societies govern the use of scarce natural resources and the pivotal role of social institutions in shaping those decisions. Young begins by clarifying what counts as a natural resource: goods whose supply is constrained by nature and produced largely without human intervention, such as coal deposits, oil pools, or pristine forests. He emphasizes, however, that the line between “natural” and “man-made” resources is often blurred, with cases like reforested lands, aquaculture, or pollution control programs complicating the definition. He also underscores that some resources, like scenic landscapes or clean air, derive value precisely from being left untouched, highlighting the limits of purely utilitarian assessments.The book also examines principles of valuation, arguing that reliance on market prices is insufficient because of externalities, absent markets, and the intrinsic qualities of natural resources. Young considers utilitarian and intrinsic forms of value, as well as intergenerational concerns, stressing that current use often determines what remains for the future. Conflicts are inevitable—between present and future generations, between human welfare and nonhuman life, and between different types of use, such as logging versus recreation or oil drilling versus fisheries. At the heart of Young’s thesis is the claim that institutions—markets, governments, legal systems, and cultural norms—establish which resources are valued, how they are measured, and how competing claims are reconciled. By examining these institutional regimes, the book highlights the broader philosophical and political challenges in balancing human needs, ecological integrity, and long-term sustainability.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982.

Natural Resources and the State: The Political Economy of Resource Management by Oran R. Young investigates how governments shape the use, transfer, and regulation of natural resources, situating these choices within broader theories of the state. Young examines the tension between devolution of public lands, direct state operation, and regulatory regimes, grounding the discussion in detailed U.S. case studies: the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Fur Seal Act, and the Fishery Conservation and Management Act. These examples reveal how the state can act as landlord, operator, or regulator, each role carrying profound political and economic consequences. By tracing how these policies were negotiated, implemented, and contested, the book illuminates the interplay of bureaucracy, law, indigenous rights, and international agreements in shaping resource governance.Far from being abstract theorizing, Young’s work is anchored in the concrete experience of Alaska and the far North, where questions of sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and economic development converge. His analysis critiques both the limits of neoclassical economic approaches to resource allocation and the idealized assumptions of ecological perspectives, insisting on attention to the messy realities of state action. The book advances a compelling argument that unforeseen consequences—whether in destabilizing village life or creating regulatory vacuums—are endemic to resource policy. For scholars of political economy, environmental policy, and Arctic studies, Natural Resources and the State offers both a framework and a cautionary tale about the power and limits of states in managing the natural foundations of modern life.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

Resource Regimes: Natural Resources and Social Institutions by Oran R. Young explores how societies govern the use of scarce natural resources and the pivotal role of social institutions in shaping those decisions. Young begins by clarifying what counts as a natural resource: goods whose supply is constrained by nature and produced largely without human intervention, such as coal deposits, oil pools, or pristine forests. He emphasizes, however, that the line between “natural” and “man-made” resources is often blurred, with cases like reforested lands, aquaculture, or pollution control programs complicating the definition. He also underscores that some resources, like scenic landscapes or clean air, derive value precisely from being left untouched, highlighting the limits of purely utilitarian assessments.The book also examines principles of valuation, arguing that reliance on market prices is insufficient because of externalities, absent markets, and the intrinsic qualities of natural resources. Young considers utilitarian and intrinsic forms of value, as well as intergenerational concerns, stressing that current use often determines what remains for the future. Conflicts are inevitable—between present and future generations, between human welfare and nonhuman life, and between different types of use, such as logging versus recreation or oil drilling versus fisheries. At the heart of Young’s thesis is the claim that institutions—markets, governments, legal systems, and cultural norms—establish which resources are valued, how they are measured, and how competing claims are reconciled. By examining these institutional regimes, the book highlights the broader philosophical and political challenges in balancing human needs, ecological integrity, and long-term sustainability.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982.

Natural Resources and the State: The Political Economy of Resource Management by Oran R. Young investigates how governments shape the use, transfer, and regulation of natural resources, situating these choices within broader theories of the state. Young examines the tension between devolution of public lands, direct state operation, and regulatory regimes, grounding the discussion in detailed U.S. case studies: the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Fur Seal Act, and the Fishery Conservation and Management Act. These examples reveal how the state can act as landlord, operator, or regulator, each role carrying profound political and economic consequences. By tracing how these policies were negotiated, implemented, and contested, the book illuminates the interplay of bureaucracy, law, indigenous rights, and international agreements in shaping resource governance.Far from being abstract theorizing, Young’s work is anchored in the concrete experience of Alaska and the far North, where questions of sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and economic development converge. His analysis critiques both the limits of neoclassical economic approaches to resource allocation and the idealized assumptions of ecological perspectives, insisting on attention to the messy realities of state action. The book advances a compelling argument that unforeseen consequences—whether in destabilizing village life or creating regulatory vacuums—are endemic to resource policy. For scholars of political economy, environmental policy, and Arctic studies, Natural Resources and the State offers both a framework and a cautionary tale about the power and limits of states in managing the natural foundations of modern life.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

We live in an era of human-dominated ecosystems in which the demand for environmental governance is rising rapidly. At the same time, confidence in the capacity of governments to meet this demand is waning. How can we address the resultant governance deficit and achieve sustainable development? This book brings together perspectives from economics, management, and political science in order to identify innovative approaches to governance and bring them to bear on environmental issues. The authors' analysis of important cases demonstrates how governance systems need to fit their specific setting and how effective policies can be developed without relying exclusively on government. They argue that the future of environmental policies lies in coordinated systems that simultaneously engage actors located in the public sector, the private sector, and civil society. Governance for the Environment draws attention to cutting-edge questions for practitioners and analysts interested in environmental governance.

Negotiations to create an International Arctic Science Committee have increased public awareness of issues involving the Arctic. This book provides a timely review of the situation from a social, political and human standpoint and provides an in-depth study of contemporary global controversies involving the Arctic. The authors describe the military, political and socio-economic conflicts emerging in the far north and consider the interests of the four major groups involved - the military, industry, natives, and environmentalists. Possible solutions are discussed, exploring US policy options, the role of non-governmental bodies and opportunities for international cooperation in the Arctic. This book offers a comprehensive and systematic framework for understanding and responding to conflicts in the Arctic and will be essential reading for all interested in, and concerned with, this important region of the earth.

We live in an era of human-dominated ecosystems in which the demand for environmental governance is rising rapidly. At the same time, confidence in the capacity of governments to meet this demand is waning. How can we address the resultant governance deficit and achieve sustainable development? This book brings together perspectives from economics, management, and political science in order to identify innovative approaches to governance and bring them to bear on environmental issues. The authors' analysis of important cases demonstrates how governance systems need to fit their specific setting and how effective policies can be developed without relying exclusively on government. They argue that the future of environmental policies lies in coordinated systems that simultaneously engage actors located in the public sector, the private sector, and civil society. Governance for the Environment draws attention to cutting-edge questions for practitioners and analysts interested in environmental governance.

Examining the Berlin crises of 1948-49 and 1961, the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1958, and the Cuban crisis of 1962, the author elucidates various intermediate and highly politicized forms of international coercion. Originally published in 1969. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The possibilities for third-party intervention aimed at facilitating the non-violent termination of international crises are explored in this book. The author develops a theory of third-party intervention at a high level of abstraction and then presents a set of applications which focuses on the Secretary-General of the United Nations and a variety of potential Soviet-American crises. Originally published in 1967. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Examining the Berlin crises of 1948-49 and 1961, the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1958, and the Cuban crisis of 1962, the author elucidates various intermediate and highly politicized forms of international coercion. Originally published in 1969. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The possibilities for third-party intervention aimed at facilitating the non-violent termination of international crises are explored in this book. The author develops a theory of third-party intervention at a high level of abstraction and then presents a set of applications which focuses on the Secretary-General of the United Nations and a variety of potential Soviet-American crises. Originally published in 1967. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

How can the global environment be safeguarded in the absence of a world government? In the vanguard of efforts to address this critical question, Oran R. Young draws on environmental issues to explore the nature of international governance. Young's analysis invokes the distinction between "governance," a social function involving the management of interdependent individuals or groups, and "government," a set of formal organizations that makes and enforces rules.

Oran R. Young is a key participant in recent debates among international relations scholars about the dynamics of rule-making and rule-following in international society. In this book, he weaves together theoretical issues relating to the formation of international regimes and substantive issues relating to the emergence of the Arctic as a distinct region in world affairs. Young divides the overall process of regime formation into three stages—agenda formation, negotiation, and operationalization—and argues that each stage has its own particular political dynamics. Efforts to explain or predict developments in specific issue areas, he suggests, require careful attention to each stage in the process. Empirically, Young examines in detail the events leading to the formation of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. Although these cases exhibit the defining characteristics of all international regimes, they broaden our understanding of institutional arrangements that are largely programmatic, rather than regulatory, in nature and that are based on soft-law agreements.

In this book Oran Young extends and generalizes his earlier work on international environmental regimes to present a comprehensive account of the current status and future prospects of regime theory as a way of thinking about governance in world affairs.Young organizes his assessment around two overarching issues. The first emphasizes the idea that regimes are dynamic systems. An understanding of regime formation is thus a springboard for inquiries into the effectiveness of these arrangements once they become operational and into the processes through which regimes change over time. The second stresses the importance of fostering a dialogue between scholars who espouse distinct ways of thinking about international institutions: the collective-action perspective arising from the fields of economics and public choice and the social-practice perspective associated with the fields of sociology and anthropology.Within this framework, the book offers cutting-edge contributions regarding the tasks institutions perform, the effectiveness of regimes, institutional change, and linkages among distinct regimes.

How can the global environment be safeguarded in the absence of a world government? In the vanguard of efforts to address this critical question, Oran R. Young draws on environmental issues to explore the nature of international governance. Young's analysis invokes the distinction between "governance," a social function involving the management of interdependent individuals or groups, and "government," a set of formal organizations that makes and enforces rules.

In this book Oran Young extends and generalizes his earlier work on international environmental regimes to present a comprehensive account of the current status and future prospects of regime theory as a way of thinking about governance in world affairs.Young organizes his assessment around two overarching issues. The first emphasizes the idea that regimes are dynamic systems. An understanding of regime formation is thus a springboard for inquiries into the effectiveness of these arrangements once they become operational and into the processes through which regimes change over time. The second stresses the importance of fostering a dialogue between scholars who espouse distinct ways of thinking about international institutions: the collective-action perspective arising from the fields of economics and public choice and the social-practice perspective associated with the fields of sociology and anthropology.Within this framework, the book offers cutting-edge contributions regarding the tasks institutions perform, the effectiveness of regimes, institutional change, and linkages among distinct regimes.

Long recognized by naturalists and adventurers as a dramatically unique region, the Arctic has recently emerged as an area of increasing political, strategic, and economic importance. The Arctic is both one of the world's largest and smallest regions, encompassing 15% of the earth's land mass, yet inhabited by fewer than 1% of the world's population. Its physical vastness is coupled with a wealth of natural resources; in oil alone, the Far North contributes that majority of Russia's production and 25% of US output. At the same time, the Circumpolar North is home to diverse indigenous peoples and cultures, thus setting the stage for conflicts of international scope.In this collection of essays, Oran Young provides a foundation for studying the politics of the Arctic as a distinctive international region. Expanding the traditional approach to area studies, he examines the Far North not only for its unique features, but also as an arena within which to develop new approaches to various issues of worldwide interest. Young challenges persistent stereotypes that marginalize the region, moving beyond the romanticism of many observers to arrive at an understanding of the complex social and ecological systems of the Far North. In doing so, Young thoughtfully establishes the Arctic as an area of international importance both in its own right and in relation to other geopolitical regions.

The world today confronts unprecedented needs for governance having profound implications for human well-being that are difficult - perhaps impossible - to address effectively within the prevailing global political order. This makes it pertinent to ask whether we must assume that the global order will continue during the foreseeable future to take the form of a state-based society as we think about options for addressing these challenges. Treating political orders as complex systems and drawing on our understanding of the dynamics of such systems, the author explores the prospects for a critical transition in the prevailing global political order. Individual sections analyze constitutive pressures, systemic forces, tipping elements, the effects of scale, the defining characteristics of potential successors to the current order, and pathways to a new order. In the process, seeking to make a more general contribution to our understanding of critical transitions in large political orders.

International courts and tribunals now operate globally and in several world regions, playing significant roles in international law and global governance. However, these courts vary significantly in terms of their practices, procedures, and the outcomes they produce. Why do some international courts perform better than others? Which factors affect the outcome of these courts and tribunals? The Performance of International Courts and Tribunals is an interdisciplinary study featuring approaches, methods and authorship from law and political science, which proposes the concept of performance to describe the processes and outcomes of international courts. It develops a framework for evaluating and explaining performance by offering a broad comparative analysis of international courts, covering several world regions and the areas of trade, investment, the environment, human rights and criminal law, and offers interdisciplinary accounts to explain how and why international court performance varies.

International courts and tribunals now operate globally and in several world regions, playing significant roles in international law and global governance. However, these courts vary significantly in terms of their practices, procedures, and the outcomes they produce. Why do some international courts perform better than others? Which factors affect the outcome of these courts and tribunals? The Performance of International Courts and Tribunals is an interdisciplinary study featuring approaches, methods and authorship from law and political science, which proposes the concept of performance to describe the processes and outcomes of international courts. It develops a framework for evaluating and explaining performance by offering a broad comparative analysis of international courts, covering several world regions and the areas of trade, investment, the environment, human rights and criminal law, and offers interdisciplinary accounts to explain how and why international court performance varies.