Transgovernance: Advancing Sustainability Governance PDF
Preview Transgovernance: Advancing Sustainability Governance
Transgovernance . Louis Meuleman Editor Transgovernance Advancing Sustainability Governance Editor LouisMeuleman PublicStrategy Brussels,Belgium UniversityofMassachussets Boston,USA FreeUniversity Amsterdam,TheNetherlands ThisbookisaresultoftheTransGovprojectoftheInstituteforAdvancedSustainability Studies(IASS).InNovember2011afirstTransGovreportwaspresented:‘Transgovernance: TheQuestforGovernanceofSustainableDevelopment’,authoredbyRoelandJ.in’tVeld. Thisreportisdownloadableasanopensourcepublicationatwww.iass-potsdam.de. ISBN978-3-642-28008-5 ISBN978-3-642-28009-2(eBook) DOI10.1007/978-3-642-28009-2 SpringerHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2012943839 #TheEditor(s)andtheAuthor(s)2013.ThebookispublishedwithopenaccessatSpringerLink.com. Open Access This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NoncommercialLicensewhichpermitsanynoncommercialuse,distribution,andreproductioninany medium,providedtheoriginalauthor(s)andsourcearecredited. All commercial rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherway,andstorageindatabanks.Duplication ofthispublicationorpartsthereofispermittedonlyundertheprovisionsoftheCopyrightLawofthe Publisher’slocation,initscurrentversion,andpermissionforcommercialusemustalwaysbeobtained fromSpringer.PermissionsforcommercialusemaybeobtainedthroughRightsLinkattheCopyright ClearanceCenter.ViolationsareliabletoprosecutionundertherespectiveCopyrightLaw. Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.inthispublication doesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevant protectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. Whiletheadviceandinformationinthisbookarebelievedtobetrueandaccurateatthedateofpublication, neithertheauthorsnortheeditorsnorthepublishercanacceptanylegalresponsibilityforanyerrorsor omissionsthatmaybemade.Thepublishermakesnowarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothe materialcontainedherein. Printedonacid-freepaper SpringerispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www.springer.com) Foreword KlausT€opfer We live, as we always have, in turbulent times. Social systems are reflexive in natureandcanandwillchangepathwaysstepbystep,beitovertimeorinstantly andabruptly.Thesechangesmayoccurbecauseoflearningprocessesinasociety or in the political culture or may result from changing power structures. These processesmaybesmoothandincrementalordisruptiveandpowerful. Two main changes have altered this already challenging social fabric of the twentiethcentury.First,weliveintheeraoftheanthropocene(PaulCrutzen).This means:Humankindhasbecomeaquasi-planetaryforce,asthefirstsymposiumof Nobel laureates organisedinPotsdam, Germany,stated inits declaration in2007. This immensely productive first symposium has also provided the seed for the InstituteforAdvancedSustainabilityStudies(IASS). Second, changes at a planetary level take place increasingly often, ever faster thanbeforeandwithincreasingamplitude.Indeed,itisbecomingmoredifficultto differentiatebetweenchangesanddisasterscausedbynaturalforcesandman-made catastrophes,asthereasonsareoverlapping.Theterminologyofa‘greataccelera- tion’ is no longer reserved for special moments in human history. This situation seemstobeacompanionofourtimes. The main question we are confronted with is as follows: Will we be able to respondtothesechallengeseffectively?Evenmorefundamentally:Areweableto understandthedrivingforces,andareweinasituationtoreducethecomplexityof theseplanetaryinterdependenciesasapreconditionforconcreteandtargetedpolicy making? Do we make sense of what we witness in the reality of life or is it just happeningtous?Willitbepossibletotransformthewealthofknowledgeavailable into actions and will we be able to take full advantage of the breath of engaged citizens? Do we have to complement the acceleration of changes we are facing nowadays with an acceleration of ideas and solutions as well as ever larger systematicandholisticchanges?Ordowehavethechancetoreducethecomplex- ityofchangeinordertorealiseapiecemealengineeringprocedurewiththechance toreacttonew insights andknowledgeandtoneworchanging valuesinanopen democraticsociety? v vi Foreword At the same time: What can we learn from the puzzling fact that some twenty yearsofsustainabilitygovernance–theoverarchingframeforourconsiderations– have notled us very far, tosay it politely? Should we consider slowing down our actions and reactions and taking time to reflect in order to move forward more effectively? Are we aware of the recommendation formulated by the Spanish philosopher Balthasar Gracian in the sixteenth century: ‘The most difficult part in runningistostandstill’.Arewerunningtoofastwhilstnotsufficientlyquestioning thedirectioninwhichwearerunning? The foundation ofthe IASS andits cluster ‘GlobalContract for Sustainability’ existstoaddressquestionslikethese.Asaconsequence,theTransGovprojectwas startedinthesummerof2010asthefirstfullyfledgedresearchprojectofIASS.Its aim is ambitious and manifold: First, to bring together new and existing ideas on governance for sustainable development and to develop new, that is, ‘advanced’ insights from them. Second, to provide a platform for exchange for scientists, including four research fellows forming the forerunners at the IASS literally, and practitioners. Third, in addressing ‘Science for Sustainable Transformations: Towards Effective Governance’, TransGov has laid out a conceptional matrix for further projects at the IASS in order to find effective ways for science-society collaborations.ThisbookpresentstheworkdonebytheTransGovprojectteam.It complementstheprojectsynthesisreport,writtenbyRoelandin’tVeld,whichwas launchedinNovember2011. Wearefacingenormousenvironmental,socialandeconomicchallengesaswell as opportunities at all levels. These are often not identified early enough, not analyseddeeplyenoughornotsystematicallyintegratedintoactions.Theproblems are interconnected, but the levels at which solutions may occur are also linked. People in modern societies are increasingly concerned that they are living in a ‘Nebenfolgengesellschaft’. The fact that science and technology are constantly cultivating deeper insights into the construction patterns of nature and life means that there are far-reaching consequences both in time and space which are not adequatelyconsidered.Forinstance,thereisasuspicionthattheeconomicincrease measured via the GNP is mainly due to overcoming the previous negative consequencesofthegrowth. IntheyearoftheUNConferenceonSustainableDevelopmentinRiodeJaneiro in 2012, it remains essential to address a huge implementation gap with regard to agreed-upon goals and targets. One approach is to define a new set of goals and targets,whichfitthepurposeandarebetterthanthoseimplemented20yearsago. TheseconsiderationsleadtotheproposaltoworkoutinRio+20additionalMillen- nium Sustainable Development Goals (MSDGs),correcting the failure toconcen- trateattheUNMillenniumAssemblyonmillenniumgoalsmoreorlessglobalising the ‘Western way of development’ to the developing countries as well. The integration of the sustainable component in the MSDGs would put forward rights and obligations both for developed and developing countries to a culturally diversified‘development’. Anotherwayofaddressingthegapbetween knowledgeandaction,orbetween words on paper – constituting numerous declarations and Calls for Action – and Foreword vii practice, is to define new approaches such as green economy or, even more importantandchallenging,agreensociety.Thechallengeistodesignnewinstitu- tional arrangements for governing sustainable development, changing technology andbehaviour,andaskingforefficiencyasintensivelyasforsufficiency.Theseare justtwooftheareaswhichthisbookaddressesthroughitsindividualchapters. OneofthemainbuildingblocksoftheTransGovprojecthasbeentheconceptof ‘knowledge democracy’ (in ’t Veld 2010), which addresses these changes and new dimensions, providing, for example, a better understanding as to why different traditionalwaysofdevelopingsolutionsarefrequentlynotsuitedtotheproblemfor whichtheywerecreated.ComplementingthiswithUlrichBeck’sapproachregarding SecondModernityrevealsthatclassicinstitutionsandapproacheswillnotjustdisap- pear butwill coexist with new forms.How to handle such transformationprocesses withintheconditionsofopendemocraticsocietiesconcernsmeagreatdeal. Sense-makingmechanismsandchainsineconomyandinmoderntechnologies as well as scientific findings are increasingly globalin nature. At the sametime – and this is something I have been following for years from a distance and from ‘within’ – a renaissance of ‘culture’ or ‘traditions’ can be observed. As a conse- quence, rigidity in thinking and acting, for example favouring one-dimensional concepts instead of accepting if not appreciating diversity, will certainly not succeed in bringing us closer to sustainable societies. This is one of the main messagesthisbookexploresfromdifferentangles. We must change course significantly and transform practices across different sectors of society, as clearly stated by the 2011 report of the German Advisory CouncilonGlobalChange(WBGU).Withthissaid,thequestionstillremains:How dowethinkandinitiatesuchtransformations?TransGovmakesthecasethatmany transformation processes will have to occur, more often than not, simultaneously, partiallyoverlapping,atdifferentplacesatthesametimeandexercisedbypeople who are multiply engaged indifferent forums, roles and levels. It alsohelps usto understand why ‘intraventions’ in many cases work better than interventions. Hence, ‘the global’ does not take centre stage at TransGov in order to tackle large-scaleproblemssuccessfully.Forexample,theemergenceofnewandpower- fulcitizens’initiativescomestomind.The‘Stuttgart21’caseinGermanykeptus busy thinking throughout the implementation of the project. Participation of the generalpublic,asintegratedinmodernregionalplanningandbuildinglegislation, isnolongerabletostabilisethepeace-makingfunctionoflegallybasedprocesses. Processes leading to a transformation of the German energy system, the so-called ‘Energiewende’, after Japan’s nuclear disaster of Fukushima at the beginning of 2011, are another case in point. This has resulted in a call for a ‘Gemeinschaftswerk’, a common effort. In times of knowledge democracies, it is less of an issue whether or not citizens are allowed to participate and to raise concerns. Their active engagement, namely intraventions, in domains until now covered by governmental actors becomes a necessary condition for effective governancetowardssustainabledevelopment. Ifco-evolutionofscienceandpracticeismeanttobenotjustanotherfancyterm which refers to thinking about the science-practice interface, is it the only way to viii Foreword putforthsuccessfullyknowledge-based solutionstowards sustainability? Answer- ing this question positively is an easy task. To transform science and practice accordingly – that is, production of useful knowledge here and knowledge-based decision-makingthere–isnoteasyatall.However,sinceprovidingaplatformor interface for science and societal interaction is the mission of the IASS, it was a logicalconsequencetoputTransGovfirst,inordertoreflectonsuchchallengesin moreconceptionaltermsinthefirstplace. Finally,TransGoviswithoutanydoubtthebeginningratherthantheendofour work on governance for sustainable development. Follow-on activities on gover- nance research at IASS are implemented by focussing on concrete issues. For example, IASS is expanding its work on soils – almost a ‘forgotten’ resource despiteitsparamountimportance–andwillsetupaknowledge-basedmonitoring process for the ‘Energiewende’. Insightsfrom TransGov will help to design these researchactivities,informknowledgeexchangeplatformsthereinandputforward recommendationsconcerningthe‘howto’ofthesechallenges.Theculturaldimen- sion will continue to play a major role in our work. In doing so, culture and governance will alter their roles as ‘dependent’ and ‘independent’ variables, respectively,ifonewishestophraseitthisway.Topicssuchasshort-livedclimate forcerspresentstraightforwardgovernancechallengesifoneaddressestheirdrivers and possible responseoptions. Inaddition,it goes withoutsayingthat any critical assessmentofclimateengineeringhasatitscoreagovernancechallengeaswell. SustainabledevelopmentasdecideduponattheUNConferenceonEnvironment andDevelopmentinRiodeJaneiroin1992ismorethananecologicalconcept.At this very time, we are confronted with a financial architecture which is far from sustainableandwhichiseventhreateningtodestroythesustainablefundamentfor socialstabilityandenvironmentalresponsibility.Themassivefinancialturbulences we are witnessing are irrefutable evidence of the fact that modern societies are living under the dictatorship of short-termism, externalising social and environ- mentalcostsduetothepriceswearecurrentlypayingforgoodsandservices.The financialdisasterisnothinglessthantheoathofdisclosureofthisshort-termism.It is,therefore,amustthatwealsothink‘outofthebox’withregardtoreshapingthe financial architecture in a way which ensures it meets the conditions for sustainability. Finally, theories of sustainable development, historical analysis and regional comparisons and reflections on transdisciplinarity more generally will continue as cross-cutting themes of the IASS and its clusters. TransGov and itsfindingswillhelpshapingtheseresearch agendas.Hence,IhopethattheIASS with this research project is able to present a modest but at the same time bold contribution to the discussion on how to improve governance for sustainable development–fortheplanetaswellasforpeopleandtheirplaces. Prof.Dr.Dr.h.c.mult.KlausT€opfer KlausTo€pferisfoundingdirectoroftheInstitute forAdvancedSustainabilityStudiesinPotsdam, Germany Acknowledgements This collection of ‘think pieces’ on advancing the governance of sustainable development is the result of a remarkable cross-fertilisation between scholars from different disciplines, practitioners from different levels of government and businessandcivilsocietyrepresentatives. The first to express my gratitude to is Klaus T€opfer, who created with the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies a challenging arena in which new ideasemergeeasily.Henotonlyprovideduswiththeworkplaceandcreativespace weneeded,buthasalsobeenactivelyparticipatinginourdiscussionsfromthevery beginning.IntheTransGovteam,Roelandin’tVeldplayedacrucialrole.Heisthe authorofthefirstproductofTransGov,thereport‘Transgovernance:TheQuestfor GovernanceofSustainableDevelopment’,andhehasstimulateduswithprovoca- tive questions. Also G€unther Bachmann, as member of the steering group, never stopped asking uneasy questions, which stimulated out of the box thinking. The four TransGov research fellows, Stefan Jungcurt, Jamel Napolitano, Alexander Perez-Carmona and Falk Schmidt, who have each contributed a chapter in this volume,havebeenapleasureandjoytoworkwith.AlthoughIneededtomanage the project from a distance, the communication has always been easy, open and constructive. I am grateful to the staff of IASS who were essential for the project and have always been very supportive. It has also been a pleasure to work with IFOKwithregardtotheorganisationofeventsandothercommunicationissues. Iwouldalsoliketothanktheparticipantsinthechallengingworkshopswehave organised, as well as the high-level practitioners we have interviewed, for their willingness to share their insights and for their precious time. Without Madelon Eelderink, I would not have finished the editing of this volume so fast and so thoroughly.Madelon,youhavebeenanenormoussupport!Lastbutnotleast,Iam gratefultoallthosearoundtheTransGovteam,ourpartnersandotherclosefriends and relatives, for having endured that all of us made the project a first priority. IsupposeIamnottheonlyonewhohasrecentlyreceivedtheurgentrequest:“No more(book)projects!”Ipromisetotry,Inge.... LouisMeuleman ProjectdirectorTransGov ix .
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