Stewart Lockie

The Role of Landcare Group Networks in Rural Australia: Exploring the Contribution of Social Capital.

Abstract In this paper, the authors report their qualitative research examining the origins, modus operandi and outcomes of two networks. The concept of social capital explains, at least in part, the apparent success of these networks. The two networks attracted substantial funding, created opportunities for participation and shared learning, carried out extensive on-ground works, improved communication structures, adopted more professional management practices and increased the knowledge of members. The key elements of social capital that were important in achieving these outcomes were trust, norms, expectations of reciprocity and linkages. Empowerment acted as a bridge that linked social capital with other factors contributing to network outcomes. The success of these Landcare networks suggests that top-down government stimulus can be a catalyst for bottom-up community development.

Mining Developments and Social Impacts on Communities: Bowen Basin Case Studies

Abstract Mining activities in Australia tend to be cyclical, with boom and bust times impacting upon associated communities. However, little information exists to classify key impacts or to identify how they vary across mining service towns. In this paper, qualitative social impact assessment techniques have been used to independently assess post-development impacts of mining on six communities in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, following the boom in coal prices between 2003 and 2008. The communities are similar in that they all have at least one mine in the vicinity and have more male than female residents but they differ in town histories, and the size plus growth rate of both their permanent and temporary populations. While the mining boom has been generating social and economic impacts, the pattern of the impacts appears to vary across communities depending on the size of the impact, community structure and history, and the extent to which a non-resident workforce is involved.

Re-discovering the social: neo-liberalism and hybrid practices of governing in rural natural resource management

Abstract Since the 1980s, natural resource management (NRM) in rural Australia has been underpinned by rationalities and technologies of governing that constitute agricultural landscapes and resource managers in economically rational terms. While it is tempting to interpret these forms of regulation as part of a broad shift away from social forms of governing, this paper argues that ‘the social’ remains of crucial significance in understanding how both natural environments and the capacities of individuals to manage these environments are constructed. Drawing upon recent work in the Foucauldian-inspired literature on governmentality and, in particular, Stenson and Watts (Urban Studies 36(1) (1999) 189–201) concept of hybrid governance, this paper examines how particular representations of ‘the social’ are assembled through strategies of NRM. Using the National Landcare Program (NLP) and Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) as examples, we consider how ‘social’ data is being incorporated into resource management strategies, and how this re-shapes both ‘the social’ and NRM as domains of governance. While the NLP and NHT incorporate concerns about social responsibility, they define these in terms of the capacity of individuals to respond to changing economic circumstances. This effectively defines land managers as socially and ecologically responsible only to the extent that they have the managerial capacities to pursue economically ‘rational’ practices. In concluding, we argue that hybrid practices of governing are indeed evident in NRM in Australia and that the concept of ‘hybrid governance’ requires further attention in understanding how rural spaces are made knowable and shaped as objects of knowledge.

SIA in review: setting the agenda for impact assessment in the 21st century

This article reviews the literature and practice of social impact assessment (SIA) to address some of the perennial questions faced by all fields of impact assessment. What scope is there to extend impact assessment beyond individual projects? How might the different branches fit together? What is the relationship between scientific assessments and public participation? It argues that the relative marginalization of SIA has limited the effectiveness and influence of all aspects of impact assessment. However, this marginalization cannot be blamed entirely on the technocratic world views and political agendas of project proponents, governments and scientific agencies. The strength of SIA is undermined also by a failure to resolve fundamental theoretical contradictions concerning the objects and methods of impact assessment, in particular, the contested role of prediction in SIA. While closure on these issues may not be possible, acknowledgement and clarification of them does suggest positive routes forward for impact assessment.

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.

Collective Agency, Non-Human Causality and Environmental Social Movements A Case Study of the Australian ‘Landcare Movement’

This article explores the implications for social movement theory of recent work in the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) that explicitly rejects dualisms between society and nature, structure and agency, and macro and micro-levels of analysis. In doing so it argues that SSK offers: (1) a theoretically useful definition of collective agency as an achievement of interaction; that is (2) sensitive to the influence of both humans and non-humans in the networks of the social; and (3) provides practical conceptual tools with which to analyse dynamics of power and agency in the ordering of networks. Applying this framework to a case study of the Australian ‘landcare movement’ it is argued that a range of practices have been used to enact ‘action at a distance’ over Australian farmers and to ‘order’ agricultural practices in ways that are consistent with corporate interests while minimizing opposition from conservation organizations otherwise highly critical of chemical agriculture.

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.

Democratisation versus engagement? Social and economic impact assessment and community participation in the coal mining industry of the Bowen Basin, Australia

A review of economic impact assessment (EcIA), social impact assessment (SIA), and community participation practice in the rapidly growing coal industry of Australias Bowen Basin suggests significant shortcomings in scope and reporting with neither EcIA nor SIA giving adequate attention to the measurement and distribution of negative impacts. This review also demonstrates a tendency to separate community participation from the conduct of impact assessment, partly in response to a perceived need to engage in relationship building with impacted communities through the entire life of mining operations. However, this separation also has significant implications for the quality of impact assessment studies and is suggestive of an approach to engagement that is more focused on expectation and image management than on participation in decision-making.

Participatory tools for coastal zone management: Use of stakeholder analysis and social mapping in Australia

This paper presents research currently being conducted in Central Queensland, Australia to understand conflicts between coastal zone resource users and the associated sociocultural and political issues surrounding coastal zone management. Conflict occurs between stakeholders in the coastal zone over values, conservation and development trade-offs, access, and resource use rights. Decisions are currently made within a multi-stakeholder framework where there is limited understanding among stakeholders of each groups values and aspirations, and few, mechanisms for negotiation, or to ensure transparency of decisions and feedback on consultation. This paper reports on the contribution of stakeholder analysis and social mapping to conflict management and findings from their application. As it is applied here, stakeholder analysis and social mapping have been successful participatory tools used to document and feed back the values, interests, attitudes and aspirations of stakeholders. Understanding stakeholder conflict is essential in progressing a whole catchment approach to decision-making that secures the cooperation of a diverse range of social groups.

Assessing social and economic impacts associated with changes in the coal mining industry in the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia

Purpose – The coal mining industry makes a key contribution to the Queensland economy, and is the underlying driver of employment and economic conditions in many local and regional communities. This article aims to focus on how the social and economic impacts of mining should be assessed and negotiated with local and regional communities.Design/methodology/approach – The following assessment tools were trialed to ascertain the impacts on communities of changes in the mining industry: extended stakeholder analysis of key community representatives; economic modeling of changes in the level of mining activity; a random survey of householders involving choice experiments to assess tradeoffs; and experimental workshops to assess how residents were prepared to prioritise different community development options.Findings – The results showed that impact assessment should be addressed using different economic and social science tools to ensure regulatory approval as well as community acceptance.Originality/value –...