Geoffrey Lawrence

Neoliberalism, Individualisation and Community: Regional Restructuring in Australia

Since the early 1980s, Australian governments have embraced neoliberal policies as a means of improving the nations global economic competitiveness. The impacts of such policies in regional areas have been quite profound, leading to socio-economic polarisation, population loss, and the growth of anti-globalisation sentiments. In this paper, we examine the process of regional restructuring that arises from this trajectory in Australia, and examine current policy responses to change under the neoliberal regime. We argue that while many such responses are individualistic, and based upon policies of personal responsibility, self-advancement and entrepreneurship, others are imbued with the language of community, social capital and collective action. The existence of individualism and community within the same policy agenda may appear contradictory, yet it is suggested that neoliberalism brings together these two opposing discourses through a process of what Nikolas Rose calls ‘governing through community’. We explore how neoliberalism underpins community approaches to regional development in Australia, arguing that such strategies do little to counter the negative forces of globalisation in non-metropolitan parts of the country.

Going organic : mobilizing networks for environmentally responsible food production

This book sets out to examine what really is going on in the organic sector socially and politically. In the process, it debunks a number of apparently common-sense beliefs: that organic consumers are wealthy environmental and health extremists; that growth in the industry will inevitably undermine its environmental values; that mainstream media is antagonistic to organics; and that the industry is driven by consumer demand. This book seeks to make a practical contribution to the development of more sustainable food systems by articulating what it takes to get people involved in organics at each stage of the food chain.

Constructing "green" foods: corporate capital, risk, and organic farming in Australia and New Zealand

Public concern over environmentalquality and food safety has culminated in thedevelopment of markets for “green” foods – foodsthat are variously construed as fresh, chemical-free,nutritious, natural, or produced in anenvironmentally-sustainable manner. Understanding theemergence of “green” foods is dependent on analysisboth of the ways in which foods are produced andprocessed, and of the meanings that are attached tothem at each stage of their production,transformation, and consumption. The notion of “green”foods is thereby understood here as a fluid andcontestable signifier that myriad actors involved inthe production/consumption cycle may attempt to shapefor their own purposes. This paper explores corporate capitals recent attempts, through certification logosand advertising, to signify the “healthiness” andenvironmental virtues of organically-produced foods inAustralia and New Zealand. These attempts have not,however, been universally successful either in termsof gaining consumer interest, or in gaining agreementsbetween farmers, certifying organizations, andcapitalist firms over the meaning of “organic” and thepractice of “sustainable” agriculture. The experienceof corporate involvement in the organics industry isillustrative of yet-to-be-resolved processes ofreflexive modernization. As food production andtransformation continues to produce environmental andsocial risks, the question of just what makes food“green” will continue to be a source of social conflict.

Social Interaction and Sense of Community in a Master Planned Community

Master planned communities are becoming the dominant form of new large‐scale housing development in Australia. A characteristic of these developments is the focus on community as a major promotional feature. This resonates well with buyers in a climate in which community (and social capital) has become a catch‐cry of governments and the private sector for a whole range of benefits. However, the case‐study master planned community considered in this research has been the focus of considerable effort by the developer to facilitate community processes beyond the political or marketing level. The research reported in this paper looks at the outcomes of these efforts and shows that while high levels of attachment to place and sense of community are reported by residents, actual social interaction within the master planned community is not generally extensive. While these findings can be seen as being in accord with current notions of changing community form, they have significant implications for developers wishing to facilitate community development in terms of increased social interaction.

Promoting Sustainable Development: The Question of Governance

Despite continuing disagreement about the meaning of ‘sustainable development’, the so-called triple-bottom-line trajectory – which would see economic advancement being achieved alongside social equity and environmental security – is viewed as one of the promises for future progress regionally, nationally and globally. At the regional level we are witnessing various experiments in governance that cut across, challenge and undermine existing decision-making structures. They are being developed and implemented because of the perceived failure of older forms of governance to deliver sustainable development. This chapter will examine the ‘regional experiment’ that is occurring within the advanced societies, identifying the general features of the schemes, policies and programmes that are being promoted to bring about sustainable development. From a policy perspective, it will seek to identify the elements, and forms, of regional governance that appear to provide the best options for sustainable development.

Global sport? Core concern and peripheral vision

Late twentieth-century political debate has been much devoted to what Philip Schlesinger (1991: 137-8) describes as ‘the current talk of “cultural identity”, “audiovisual space” [and] “the defence of the national culture” . . .’. In broad terms, there is concern about the erosion or obliteration of national political sovereignty, of economic independence and cultural distinctiveness. The term ‘globalization’ is usually employed to characterize this process, often in a form indistinguishable from that of ‘Americanization’. This article addresses the interrelated politics, economics and cultural dynamics of one prominent component of local, regional, national and international social life sport, with particular reference to soccer. The development of international sporting competition and its concomitant global relay by the mass media highlight the conflict between intensely particular/parochial elements of sporting culture and the necessarily universalizing pressures of international sports governance and media representation. Australia, a former white colony located in the AsianPacific region, is the ground on which this analysis of globalization is undertaken.

Food risks, old and new Demographic characteristics and perceptions of food additives, regulation and contamination in Australia

New forms of food production, processing and distribution have resulted in rising consumer concern over food safety and quality. This study draws upon data from an Australia-wide survey to evaluate whether consumer perceptions towards various types of food risks differ according to demographic factors. This study has two distinct foci: those concerned with new, and those concerned with traditional, food risks. First, we investigate attitudes and concerns towards food additives and food regulation, characterized by new risks associated with chemicals, pesticides and food additives, as well as industry safeguards and issues of regulation in regard to these modern factors. Second, we consider more traditional types of risk associated with food contamination, such as spoilage and being past the used-by date. Our research suggests that if the risk in question is traditional, preventable and specific knowledge is required in order to avoid it, people who earn less than

The environmental enigma: Why do producers professing stewardship continue to practice poor natural resource management?

25,000 per year, those who have not completed high school and religious people tend to be more concerned. In contrast, if the risk is modern, affects everyone equally, and the effects are not obvious or immediate, women, people with more education and older people tend to be more concerned. This study supports previous research which shows that various groups within society understand and respond to food safety risks differently.

THE OVER-PRODUCTION OF US SPORTS AND THE NEW INTERNATIONAL DIVISION OF CULTURAL LABOR

Abstract Despite a wide acceptance that primary producers in Australia subscribe to a stewardship ethic, land and water degradation remains an ongoing problem. Recent calculations suggest that the economic cost of Australias environmental degradation is amounting to more than

Consuming Green: the Symbolic Construction of Organic Foods

A3.5 billion a year with an estimated cost of managing (not overcoming) problems of salinity, acidification, soil erosion totalling