Assessing marine spatial planning governmentality

Abstract

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is advanced by its champions as an impartial and rational process that can address complex management issues. We argue that MSP is not innately rational and that it problematises marine issues in specific ways, often reflecting hegemonic agendas. The illusion of impartial rationality in MSP is derived from governmentalities that appear progressive but serve elite interests. By understanding the creation of governmentalities, we can design more equitable planning processes. We conceptualise governmentalities as consisting of problematisations, rationalities and governance technologies, and assess England’s first marine plans to understand how specific governmentalities de-radicalise MSP. We find that progressive framings of MSP outcomes, such as enhanced well-being, are deployed by the government to garner early support for MSP. These elements, however, become regressively problematised in later planning phases, where they are framed by the government as being difficult to achieve and are pushed into future iterations of the process. Eviscerating progressive elements from the planning process clears the way for the government to focus on implementing a neoliberal form of MSP. Efforts to foster radical MSP must pay attention to the emergence of governmentalities, how they travel through time/space and be cognisant of where difference can be inserted into planning processes. Achieving progressive MSP will require the creation of a political frontier early in the process, which cannot be passed until pathways for progressive socio-environmental outcomes have been established; advocacy for disenfranchised groups; broadening MSP evaluations to account for unintended impacts; and the monitoring of progressive objectives.

Knowledge Production for Marine Spatial Planning in a Brazilian Inclusive Governance Context

“…O Planejamento Espacial Marinho (PEM) apresenta extrema relevância no escopo do HOB, visto que, sua proposta de inovação através de uma abordagem participativa baseada nos ecossistemas (Ehler & Douvere, 2009) torna-o um instrumento fundamental para a implementação das metas de governança global oceânica, em particular, a Agenda 2030 (Frazão-Santos et al, 2019). Além disso, este processo/instrumento vem sendo adotado como mecanismo de políticas ambientais no setor intergovernamental internacional em países com diferentes níveis de desenvolvimento, bem como, política pública e plataforma operacional nas ações de planejamento e gestão integrada dos usos no espaço marinho-costeiro (Domínguez-Tejo et al, 2016;Ehler, Zaucha & Gee, 2019;Frazão-Santos et al, 2020;Costa et al, 2020;Flannery & McAteer, 2020).…”

“…Sabe-se que o tema vem avançando lentamente tanto no legislativo quanto no executivo do país, e desta forma, o grupo iniciou uma leitura crítica sobre sua sustentabilidade, bem como, sobre a adoção de princípios como inclusividade e equidade socioeconômica pela agenda nacional para o PEM (PainelMar, 2020). As recentes experiências internacionais indicam que é preciso cuidar para que o PEM não seja mais um mero instrumento tecnocrático (Flanery et al, 2020;Flannery & McAteer, 2020).…”

A critical turn in marine spatial planning

“…He applies this theoretical framework to the Shetland MSP process which reveals to have striated and smooth spatialities and that policy stages can progress through the interaction of the two spatial dynamics. Flannery and McAteer (2020) use the Foucauldian concept of governmentality to understand MSP as a power-laden arena, particularly how power dynamics play out in subsequent phases (normative, strategic, operational, monitoring) of planning processes. They assess how MSP has been operationalized in the UK, with a focus on the East marine plans in England, by looking into three core elements within governance processes: problematizations, rationalities, and technologies.…”

“…The authors show that while in the earlier (normative) phase, MSP was coupled with progressive reform; this becomes deradicalized in later stages, resulting in the development of hegemonic (neoliberal) goals. However, Flannery and McAteer (2020) argue that by understanding how governmentalities travel through time and space, they can be changed and resisted. Campbell et al (2020) apply assemblage and governance theories to critically reflect on the emergence of ocean planning in US federal waters.…”

“…For example, Ritchie and McElduff (2020), Ntona and Schröder (2020), and Jay (2020) highlight that 'marine space' is not a neutral concept and that it needs to be understood through the application of constructivist frameworks. Campbell et al (2020), Flannery and McAteer (2020), and Greenhill et al (2020) highlight that MSP is not an apolitical process, but is, rather, a multi-layered power arena in which the socio-political dynamics need to be scrutinized through the application of governance and power theories. Toonen and van Tatenhove (2020) and Karnad and St. Martin (2020) draw our attention to the role of non-state actors and the development of MSP-like processes beyond the state.…”