| Toward a Bioregional State: A Series of Letters About Political Theory and Formal Institutional Design in the Era of Sustainability Contributor(s): Whitaker, Mark D. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0595346146 ISBN-13: 9780595346141 Publisher: iUniverse OUR PRICE: $22.46 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2005 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Political Ideologies - Democracy - Political Science | History & Theory - General - Philosophy | History & Surveys - General |
| Physical Information: 0.86" H x 6" W x 9" (1.25 lbs) 388 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Environmental sociologist Mark D. Whitaker is a comparative historical researcher on the politics of environmental degradation and sustainability. Toward A Bioregional State is his novel approach to development and to sustainability. He proposes that instead of sustainability being an issue of population scale, managerial economics, or technocratic planning, an overhaul of formal democratic institutions is required. This is because environmental degradation has more to do with the biased interactions of formal institutions and informal corruption. Because of corruption, we have environmental degradation. Current formal democratic institutions of states are forms of informal gatekeeping, and as such, intentionally maintain democracy as ecologically "out of sync". He argues that we are unable to reach sustainability without a host of additional ecological checks and balances. These ecological checks and balances would demote corrupt uses of formal institutions by removing capacities for gatekeeping against democratic feedback. Sustainability is a politics that is already here--only waiting to be formally organized. |