Ross Gillard

Questioning the Diffusion of Resilience Discourses in Pursuit of Transformational Change

Desirable responses to global environmental challenges are increasingly being characterized as requiring transformational social change. Keeping pace with this growing imperative, discourses of resilience are shifting away from an emphasis on durability toward more progressive themes. After briefly revisiting the interdisciplinary origin of social-ecological resilience, some lingering concerns about its theoretical underpinnings and practical implications are raised. With the theme of transformational change in mind, two sets of questions are posed—aiming to stimulate discussion of resilience as a boundary object, and resilience in practice. The first set of questions is intended to draw attention to differences between analysis and normativity in resilience discourses, as well as to how this plays out across different scales. The latter questions problematize the predominance of localism in resilience discourses and seek to advance the critique of its inherent neoliberalism.

Blowing policy bubbles: rethinking emissions targets and low-carbon energy policies in the U.K.

ABSTRACT The issue of proportionality is central to climate policy debates about setting targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the development of low-carbon energy. In effect, these debates centre on whether the perceived social costs outweigh the benefits of policies and, if not, whether this may lead to over-investment or ‘policy bubbles’. Political attention, agenda setting and policy image are all crucial drivers of ambitious policy formation, as seen in the case of the United Kingdoms (U.K.) Climate Change Act (2008). However, as political salience waned and economic depression dragged on, the cost of long-term climate targets has been reconsidered. Based on documentary analysis and 33 interviews with central political actors, this article presents a detailed account of how economic arguments have been used to reinterpret and challenge policies, using the heuristics of ‘over-investment’ and ‘policy bubbles’. Ultimately, arguments about proportionality hinge on which costs and benefits are considered. In the U.K., economic and technical framings are typically prioritised, but they do not explain contradictory and politically motivated policy decisions. We discuss these dynamics within the context of maturing renewable energy technologies, high energy prices and the U.K.’s cross-party consensus approach to climate politics.

Plugging the Gap Between Energy Policy and the Lived Experience of Energy Poverty: Five Principles for a Multidisciplinary Approach

In this chapter, we illustrate the value of a multidisciplinary approach to energy poverty policy, drawing on insights from research into the lived experience of energy poverty in three European countries. We argue that understanding the lived experience of energy poverty is critical in designing energy policies which are fair, effective and aligned with peoples daily lives. In addition, we contend that bringing together a range of disciplines to examine dimensions of the lived experience of energy poverty (such as housing, employment, education, social policy, health, energy, etc.) is essential to give breadth to our understanding of this challenging and multifaceted condition. We propose five principles for policy design, informed by our multidisciplinary understanding of the lived experience. These principles can be applied at a range of scales (local, regional, national and European) to help ensure that the energy poor are both well served, and represented, by energy policy.

Book Review: Henry Shue, Climate Justice: Vulnerability and ProtectionClimate Justice: Vulnerability and Protection by ShueHenry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. 353pp., £25.00 (h/b), ISBN 9780198713708

reorganisation of the international economic system was premised. The book’s main shortcoming is its strictly Western-centric approach to global governance. In fact, the timeframe which the book spans saw the parallel rise of new world-class powerful countries active within Western international economic institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. These nations were deeply involved in setting an agenda for global governance and establishing temporary bodies to target problems of global stability in industrial states and less developed economies, something which this book overlooks.

Book Review: Interpretive Approaches to Global Climate GovernanceInterpretive Approaches to Global Climate Governance by MethmannChrisRotheDelfStephanBenjamin (eds). Abingdon: Routledge, 2013. 266pp., £80.00 (h/b), ISBN 9780415521888

illuminating, are at times anecdotal, rather than rigorous empirical demonstrations. However, these shortcomings do not make the book irrelevant or uninteresting. Corporate Political Behavior provides a comprehensive start for those who want to further explore business–government relations and understand why corporations do what they do in politics, from the standpoint of corporations alone. By clearly pinpointing the factors that influence a firm’s political strategy, Healy eases the way into an undeniably important and intricate domain, and manages to highlight a useful roadmap of how to navigate it. Although there is a stringent need to develop a political science theory of the firm, efforts are still being focussed on understanding just one side of the debate, that of the corporation. Healy’s book certainly contributes to that side of the debate.

Book Review: Timothy F Braun and Lisa M Glidden, Understanding Energy and Energy PolicyUnderstanding Energy and Energy Policy by BraunTimothy FGliddenLisa M. London: Zed Books, 2014. 209pp., £21.99 (p/b), ISBN 9781780329345

Set against the ever-present backdrop of climate change, the challenges of securing accessible and low-carbon energy are laid out in this comprehensive book. The understanding offered is both material and social, drawing on the physical science of energy dynamics and the political science of policymaking. Adopting such a multidisciplinary approach enables the authors to set out a fourfold interwoven argument: effective policy can only come from a full grasp of the physical capacities of energy systems as well as the way they are measured and compared, and energy policies are largely reactionary, with no singular correct way of pursuing goals. Emphasis is placed on articulating the need for a diverse energy mix and the increased investment in updating infrastructure and policies required to accommodate it. Beginning with fossil fuels and nuclear power, then visiting each of the major renewable energy options, the state of the art in each sector is presented. The geographical scope is necessarily global, bringing regional differences and geopolitical considerations to the fore. Carefully selected case studies within each chapter illustrate the variety of responses, opportunities and challenges facing energy policymakers the world over. Anyone with a general interest in energy, which is surely just about everyone, will find this book of interest and also relatively easy to read. As the authors intended their text to be a broadly educational tool for general consumption, it will be of most use to students and practitioners who require a comprehensive overview, rather than specialists looking for detail. In terms of the four general arguments about energy science and policy, it would be difficult to disagree with the authors. However, the pedagogic overtones to the text suggest a simplistic view of ‘better knowledge leads to better policy’. The writing is simple, flowing and almost conversational without sacrificing rigour. Informing the general public about something so central to our societies is an admirable aim, but to imply that this will lead to effective political pressure for a low-carbon transition is a tall order. Insufficient space is given to the political economy of energy governance, perhaps as an inevitable outcome of presenting the information in a way which suggests that physics determines policy options. The concluding policy recommendations are broad enough to be unquestioned, but they only hint at the analytical work yet to be done if we are truly to understand energy policy beyond the technicalities of energy sources.

What's Wrong with Climate Politics and How to Fix It by Paul G. Harris. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013. 286pp., £15.99, ISBN 978 0 7456 5251 1

whether markets should serve citizens rather than citizens serving markets. The contributing scholars and practitioners unequivocally allege that the dominant theory of political economy appears ill-suited to addressing contemporary challenges of social justice, inequality and the destruction of our ecological systems. The technocratic approach to the crisis has prevented citizens from playing any role. Furthermore, the interests of industry through business forums and mainstream think tanks have generally ruled the day in terms of civil society engagement in financial markets. As a result, civil society activism to steer financial markets towards the common good remains mostly muted and ineffectual, and the governance of finance generally eludes democratic accountability (p. 14). The writers exhort civil society actors outside the financial sector to play an active role in changing consumer behaviour through deliberation, campaigning and coordination to hold financial power to account. In a nutshell, markets must serve citizens and the planet, rather than the other way around. The authors suggest that civil society can engage in the financial markets along three lines: conformist, reformist and transformist. Alternatively, civil society initiatives can aim towards anything, ranging from no change at all to a systemic change in the governance of financial markets. The book will be helpful for all students, scholars and practitioners pursuing philosophy, ethics, politics, economics and sociology, among others, who wish to understand the different approaches, methods and levels of analysis applied to the financial crisis and how civil society can play an active and constructive role in containing such upheavals in future.