scholarly journals Knowledge Production and Land Relations in the Bioeconomy. A Case Study on the Brazilian Sugar-Bioenergy Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4525
Author(s):  
Maria Backhouse ◽  
Kristina Lorenzen
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Main Tool ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
The Political ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Ecological Problems

National bioeconomy strategies aim for a comprehensive transition from a fossil-based to a biomass-based economy. One common feature of the strategies is the optimistic reliance on technology as main tool in order to overcome the socio-ecological crisis. From the critical perspectives of political ecology and the political economy of research and innovation, technologies and technological innovations are not neutral solutions to the problem; they are generally socially embedded. Against this backdrop, we contextualise the technological innovations that support a more climate-friendly production of ethanol on a sugarcane basis, building on a field research in the more recently developed cultivation areas in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. In doing so, we explore the co-production of the green framing of the sector in combination with technologies for a more climate-friendly agriculture and the political economy of land. Our investigation shows that the bioeconomy in the sugar-ethanol sector perpetuates the socio-ecological problems associated with the agricultural sector. These socio-ecological problems range from the increasing concentration of landownership to the negative impact of agrotoxins.

In pursuit of diverse energy futures: The political economy of electricity in Senegal

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110348
Author(s):  
Mara van den Bold
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
The Political ◽  
Oil Markets ◽  
Rural Access

In recent years, Senegal has proactively pursued the expansion of renewable energy generation, particularly from solar and wind. In addition to starting exploration of offshore liquefied natural gas, the expansion in renewable energy is posited as a way to help the country move toward low(er) carbon development, reduce dependence on volatile oil markets, and improve reliable (and especially rural) access to electricity. To achieve these objectives, the electricity sector has continuously undergone structural reforms to improve its financial viability and to achieve objectives around universal access to electricity, particularly by increasing private sector participation in electricity generation. Through the lens of “electricity capital,” this paper examines the implications of reforms in the electricity sector for processes of accumulation, in a context of efforts to improve environmentally sustainable development. It asks how capital in the electricity sector is constituted and operates in the Senegalese context, who has power in shaping how it operates, and how this has influenced the potential for achieving a fair and equitable transition to a low(er) carbon energy system. This paper draws on recent work in political ecology on energy transitions and emerging literature on the political economy of electricity, as well as on analysis of policy and technical documents and semi-structured interviews carried out with those involved in the energy sector between 2018 and 2020. Findings suggest that even though the Senegalese government has set clear objectives for the electricity sector that are based on principles of equity, environmental sustainability, and justice, the current power relations and financing arrangements taken on by the state and other actors active in the sector has, paradoxically, led to an approach that risks undermining these very principles.

scholarly journals Playing development roles: the political ecology of performance in agricultural development

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Flachs ◽  
Paul Richards
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Special Section ◽  
The Political ◽  
Farm Work ◽  
Farming Communities

Performance is a useful lens through which to analyze agrarian life, as performance illuminates the ways that farmers manage the complex socioecological demands of farm work while participating in social life and in the larger political economy. The dialectic of planning and improvisation in the farm field has produced scholarship at multiple scales of political ecology, including the global ramifications of new technologies or policies, as well as the hyper-local engagements between farmers and fields in the context of modernity and development. Political ecologists are also beginning to understand how affects, such as aspirations and frustrations, influence agriculture by structuring how farmers and other stakeholders make decisions about farms, households, capital, and environments. To understand farm work as a performance is to situate it within particular stages, roles, scripts, and audiences at different scales. The articles in this Special Section ask how farmers have improvised, planned, and performed in response to agroecological challenges, bridging scholarship in political ecology, development studies, and the study of agrarian landscapes through new empirical case studies and theoretical contributions. Agriculture both signals social values and fosters improvisations within farming communities' collective vulnerability to weather and the political economy. We argue that the lens of performance situates the political ecology of agriculture within the constraints of the political economy, the aspirations and frustrations of daily life, and the dialectic between improvised responses to change and planning in the field.Keywords: Performance, agriculture, planning, improvisation, agrarian studies

scholarly journals The Political Economy of European Wine Regulations

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Meloni ◽  
Johan Swinnen
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
The Political ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Wine Market ◽  
Economic Developments ◽  
The Many ◽  
Historical Origins ◽  
Jel Classifications

AbstractThe wine market in the European Union is heavily regulated. Despite the many distortions in the wine market as a consequence, reforming the regulations has proven difficult. This paper analyzes the political economy mechanism that created existing wine regulations. We document the historical origins of the regulations and relate these to political pressures that resulted from international integration, technological innovations, and economic developments. (JEL Classifications: K23, L51, N44, N54, Q13)

Fuzzy Legality and the Challenge to Proper Governance

2021 ◽  
pp. 255-288
Author(s):  
Margit Cohn
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Deliberative Democracy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
The Political ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Executive Action ◽  
Exogenous Factors

This chapter addresses two aspects of the propriety of reliance on fuzzy law as a central strategy for the retention of executive dominance over and under law. First, it presents arguments concerning the direct negative impact of fuzzy law on proper governance. These arguments are sorted around two nodes of democratic theory: ‘the rule of law’, and theories of participatory/deliberative democracy. Both offer good bases for embedding these arguments in the normative debate. The second part of the chapter offers a hitherto untreated aspect: it traces the political economy of fuzziness. It traces the factors that enhance reliance on fuzzy modes of executive action, classified under a distinction between endogenous and exogenous factors. Beyond law’s endemic fuzziness, I study a group of external factors that impact on the retention of fuzziness, including power politics and player preferences; disagreement during the design stage of a rule or at a subsequent political juncture; pressure to act that results in fuzzy arrangement, not necessarily designed to be applied; and the relative marginalization of the action exercised, which leads to the retention of fuzziness. Combined, the two parts of the chapter enrich the understanding of the ubiquity of fuzziness, while emphasizing the prices paid by continuous reversion to such practices.

scholarly journals Nature conservation, indigenous rights, and settler colonialism: the politics of payments for ecosystem services in Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil)

2021 ◽  
pp. 5-39
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Eimer ◽  
Maliene Kip
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Settler Colonialism ◽  
Indigenous Rights ◽  
Payments For Ecosystem Services ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Brazilian Province ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mato Grosso Do Sul

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are strongly criticized by political ecology scholars. Predominantly, their critique is rooted in notions of distributive justice, as they focus on the negative impact (e.g. land rights distribution) of PES for indigenous and other local communities. Many liberal supporters of PES do not deny that these problems are real. However, they put more emphasis on procedural justice and claim that PES may trigger an institutionalization of more inclusive dialogic procedures. As of yet, both strands of literature underestimate the impact of the postcolonial conditions in which many Pes projects are situated. This is where our article steps in. We investigate initial PES politics in Mato Grosso do Sul, a Brazilian province dominated by ongoing settler colonialism. Our research results indicate that the implementation of inclusive procedures in PES projects may partially mitigate the consequences of ongoing settler colonialism but that this more frequently fails because of its being embedded into the structures of a colonially shaped political economy. Although PES occasionally empower indigenous actors to confront local elites more effectively and strengthen the rights of indigenous women, the resulting transformations within the communities themselves are likely to weaken their political self-organization.

scholarly journals Income Inequality and Environmental Degradation in Egypt: Evidence from Dynamic ARDL Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Ali
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Ardl Approach ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Economy Approach

Abstract This study aims to explore the effect of income inequality on CO2 emissions in Egypt during the period 1975–2017. " The analysis investigates the validity of the political economy approach compared to the Keynesian approach regarding the inequality-environment nexus. The study applies the novel dynamic autoregressive distributed lags approach (DARDL) to overcome the complications associated with the structure of the ARDL model. The findings showed that the relationship between inequality and CO2 emissions is not a trade-off relationship. Rather, inequality leads to environmental deterioration in the long term, which supports the political economy approach in explaining the inequality-environment nexus. Hence, the economic development policies adopted in Egypt during the past four decades have led to a negative impact on the environment.

scholarly journals Access to Resources and Predictability in Armed Rebellion: The FAPC's Short-lived “Monaco” in Eastern Congo

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristof Titeca
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
The Political ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Armed Group ◽  
Military Security ◽  
Eastern Congo ◽  
Lootable Resources ◽  
The Impact

This article discusses the impact of economic resources on the behaviour of an armed group. The availability of resources, and the presence of “lootable” resources in particular, is presumed to have a negative impact on the way an armed group behaves toward the civilian population. The case of the Armed Forces of the Congolese People (Forces Armées du Peuple Congolais, FAPC) in eastern Congo strongly suggests that it is necessary to look beyond this monocausal argument so as to witness the range of other factors at work. In this vein, first, the article demonstrates how the political economy literature underestimates the ease of accessibility of lootable resources. The paper then shows how the behaviour of this armed group was tied to a particular economic interest: In order to access these lootable goods, the FAPC was dependent on pre-established trading networks, so it had to increase the predictability of economic interactions through the construction of a minimum of social and economic order. Second, the article reveals how the political economy literature can underestimate the specific conflict dynamics. Military security in particular has a strong impact in this context.

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