Liz Sharp

Reflections on Foucauldian discourse analysis in planning and environmental policy research

Discourse analysis is becoming an increasingly common approach in planning and environmental policy research. This paper asserts that the generic treatment of discourse analysis obscures distinct approaches in which ‘discourses’ can combine different elements of text, systems of thought and action. Textually oriented approaches have been more prevalent during the 1990s, but this paper explores a different approach, grounded in the theory of Michel Foucault, which broadens discourse to embrace social action. Comparing and contrasting two studies that have utilized this approach, the paper suggests that there is considerable room for variation concerning the subjects of study, the institutional scale of analyses, the methods of investigation and process of analysis. Nevertheless, this paper identifies certain core elements of a Foucauldian discourse analytic approach. The paper concludes that this emerging approach to discourse analysis promises considerable insights if applied more widely in planning and environmental research. Copyright

PET bottle use patterns and antimony migration into bottled water and soft drinks: the case of British and Nigerian bottles

While antimony has been reported to migrate from PET bottles into contents, reports on bottled water and soft drinks usage and PET bottle reuse patterns are currently unavailable in the literature. Bottle use conditions and patterns are important determinants of antimony migration. In this work a survey assessing the pattern of bottle use and reuse in Britain and Nigeria was undertaken. The survey findings influenced the design of laboratory experiments that assessed the migration of antimony from PET bottles into water and soft drinks. Typical storage durations for bottled contents between purchase and opening for use were 7 days or less. However storage of up to one year was reported. Bottle reuse was high and similar for the two countries with reuse durations being higher in Nigeria. The antimony concentration in 32 PET bottle materials from Britain and Nigeria were similar and ranged between 177 and 310 mg kg(-1). For 47 freshly purchased British bottled contents antimony concentration ranged between 0.03 and 6.61 μg L(-1) with only one sample exceeding the EU acceptable limit. Concentrations of Cd, Ge, Zn, Al, Be, Ti, Co and Pb were also measured. At realistic temperatures of 40 and 60 °C antimony concentration in deionised water in bottles remained below the EU acceptable limit even after 48 h exposure. The limit was exceeded for most exposures at 80 °C. Concentration of antimony in some bottled contents exceeded the EU limit after 11 months of storage at room temperature. Bottle aging and increase in bottle volume were associated with decreased migration of antimony from bottles.

Measuring the local economic impact of National Health Service procurement in the UK: an evaluation of the Cornwall Food Programme and LM3

Abstract Local procurement by public bodies is one type of short food supply chain (SFSC), which have been argued to contribute to economic regeneration and local sustainable development. In the current UK policy environment, quantifying actual local economic gains could add much-needed weight to arguments in favour of local procurement in the NHS and other public bodies. To aid such quantification, this paper exemplifies and evaluates the use of a “quick and simple” tool called LM3, designed to measure the local economic benefit of initiatives like SFSCs. LM3 is calculated for the Cornwall Food Programme (CFP), a localised procurement initiative. The findings confirm that the CFP has a considerable impact on the local economy. Notwithstanding this conclusion, difficulties in data collection combined with inaccuracies inherent to the LM3 process created a large margin of error in the findings. Moreover, a qualitative evaluation of the CFP added a valuable understanding of the wider economic impact of the CFP. The use of an even simpler and more reliable “LM2” multiplier tool is recommended for future studies, accompanied by some qualitative evaluation to create a fuller picture of local economic impacts.

Developing adaptive capacity through reflexivity: lessons from collaborative research with a UK water utility

This paper develops debates about reflexivity and its role in adaptive management and collaborative research through recounting the case of an action research project aiming to support water utilities in adapting to climate change. The project sought to produce ‘usable’ knowledge about adaptation through interpretive social scientists working closely with water utility practitioners operating within a positivist knowledge context. Developing the work of Stirling, Voß and Kemp, the paper identifies four challenges arising from this collaboration. We have named these the challenges of difference, integrity, fit and valid knowledge. Each challenge was addressed through reflexive processes of first opening up debate and then closing down discussion by identifying routes for action. The paper argues that these same challenges may pose difficulties and hence require careful consideration in other collaborative projects that cross not only the interpretive-positivist but also the research–practice divide. We conclude that if collaborations are to be maintained, making things less comfortable and more reflexive must be cautious, based on strong relations of trust and willingness to, at times, compromise on what one believes is ‘usable’ knowledge.

Using secondary data to analyse socio-economic impacts of water management actions

This paper provides an analysis of the socio-economic impacts of river restoration schemes, and is novel in considering how a wide range of socio-economic variables can be used to understand impacts on the entire resident population within an area. A control-impacted approach was applied to explore differences in socio-economic characteristics of areas within which a restoration scheme had been carried out compared to areas without such a scheme. The results show that significant differences exist between control and impacted areas for a range of socio-economic variables. However, due to constraints in the methods and the data available, there are currently limitations in the extent to which socio-economic impacts of river restoration schemes can be fully explored. Additional datasets that become available in the future may increase the ability to detect associations between improvements in the water environment and socio-economic benefits. However, whilst the secondary data used in this paper are potentially powerful, they should be used alongside other techniques for assessing the impacts of decisions as part of future frameworks to deliver sustainable water management.

Collaborative research in sustainable water management: issues of interdisciplinarity

Abstract This paper reflects on what is meant by interdisciplinary engagement in the context of two integrated urban water management research programmes in the UK and New Zealand. Different extents of interdisciplinary engagement in research teams are conceptualised on a continuum that ranges from rhetorical intentions to joint research. We discuss how interdisciplinary working in research programmes is shaped through the processes of bidding, research management and production of outputs. The paper concludes that if higher levels of interdisciplinarity are desired, they need to be specifically funded and planned for. In particular, funders may need to provide flexibility in relation to interdisciplinary outputs, which may be hard to specify at the start of a research programme.

Local policy for the global environment: In search of a new perspective

British local government is placing a new emphasis on local action for the global environment. In the literature addressing these developments limited attention has been paid to the contested nature of sustainability, or to the local context in which initiatives arise. A cultural politics approach provides a means through which these shortcomings can be overcome [Hajer, 1996]. Its discourse basis enables a local authority to be seen as a forum in which technocentric and ecocentric interpretations of sustainability compete with each other, as well as contesting established ‘non‐sustainable’ approaches. The Foucauldian view of power which underlies cultural politics requires that these contests are viewed in the context of an authoritys history and traditions. As such, a cultural politics approach could form the basis of a new broader agenda for Local Agenda 21 research.

Reconnecting People and Water : Public Engagement and Sustainable Urban Water Management

1. Visions for water management 2. Urban water use in context 3. The governance of water supply and demand 4. Water in the home: learning from the past 5. Understanding water practices and mobilising change 6. Water qualities 7. Water out of place 8. Flood risk governance 9. Water in the landscape 10. Conclusion