Going beyond panaceas

Abstract

In the context of governance of human-environment interactions, a panacea refers to a blueprint for a single type of governance system (e.g., government ownership, privatization, community property) that is applied to all environmental problems. The aim of this special feature is to provide theoretical analysis and empirical evidence to caution against the tendency, when confronted with pervasive uncertainty, to believe that scholars can generate simple models of linked social-ecological systems and deduce general solutions to the overuse of resources. Practitioners and scholars who fall into panacea traps falsely assume that all problems of resource governance can be represented by a small set of simple models, because they falsely perceive that the preferences and perceptions of most resource users are the same. Readers of this special feature will become acquainted with many cases in which panaceas fail. The articles provide an excellent overview of why they fail. Furthermore, the articles in this special feature address how scholars and public officials can increase the prospects for future sustainable resource use by facilitating a diagnostic approach in selecting appropriate starting points for governance and monitoring, as well as by learning from the outcomes of new policies and adapting in light of effective feedback.resources ͉ social-ecological systems ͉ sustainability

Sustainability science: a review, an analysis and some empirical lessons

“…What was fiercely discussed was whether sustainability science was just a subtopic of other sciences, a cross-cutting question or a new discipline in its own right (ICSU [International Council for Science] 2002; Clark & Dickson 2003). The answer now seems clear: although an 'umbrella term' (Kastenhofer et al 2011), sustainability science has emerged as a 'not yet mature' (Ostrom et al 2007), but distinctive, vibrant and maturing field of research, defined by problems rather than by the disciplines it employs (Clark 2007;Kajikawa et al 2007). Disciplines have been defined as 'stable systemic communities within which members contribute their experience into a particular world view' (Bruce et al 2004, p. 458).…”

Policies, guideline implementation and practice change – how can the process be understood?

“…However, we also need large-scale social, political and economic science studies of complex health care systems and of how they achieve reform and innovation in 'real world' settings. Landmark studies that we should refer to in our attempt of moving the field forward have studied ecological and socioeconomic phenomena such as the production of public services (Ostrom et al 1978(Ostrom et al , 2007. To achieve this aim, we are likely to require larger-scale empirical social, political and economic science research consortia and funding mechanisms.…”

A generic method of engagement to elicit regional coastal management options

“…However, there are practical considerations when engaging the community over a longer timeframe, including scheduling and other time commitments. Many emphasise the importance of gaining trust and respect (Vural-Arslan and Cahantimur, 2011), and provide models of engagement (Rowbottom and Bueno, 2009) and move beyond simple models of socio-ecological systems and the perception that most resource users are the same (the "panacea") (Ostrom et al, 2007).…”