Review: Neoliberal Environments: False Promises and Unnatural Consequences

Abstract

In academic debates about environmental protection and social equity, neoliberalism has supplanted globalization as the newest catchphrase. A growing body of literature on neoliberalism, particularly in the fields of political ecology, political economy, and geography, has shown the concept to be at least as unwieldy as its predecessor. Neoliberal Environments: False Promises and Unnatural Consequences emerges specifically from this expansive proliferation of scholarship with the aim to collect and represent a particular focus on the``connections and common problems'' between neoliberal approaches and environmental governance, change, and policies (page 9).The editors frame neoliberalism as the most current form of capitalism and stress its intent tò`e xpand opportunities for capital investment and accumulation by re-working state^market^civil society relations to allow for the stretching and deepening of commodity production, circulation and exchange'' (page 10). Recognizing the challenge of giving this idea of neoliberalism an identifiable form, the editors use many case studies and commentaries in four topical sections to illustrate the conviction that, while neoliberal ideas and policies vary widely, they frequently result in environmental degradation and socioeconomic disparity.The opening section,``Enclosure and privatization'', examines attempts to define natural systems in terms of access and property. Case studies in this section show how the privatization of property does not actually lessen government interference, but rather requires new forms of state regulation, or reregulation. The second section,``Commodification and marketization'', is a series of case studies that look at how natural systems become fungible commodities and are exchanged in markets. For example, Morgan Robertson examines the development of wetland banking systems, in which natural wetland and human-made wetland are equivalent`goods' to be bought, sold, and even`banked' to fulfill certain regulatory obligations. His analysis demonstrates the difficulty inherent in creating standards of measurement and governance when commodifying these complex natural processes.The third section,``Devolution and neoliberal governmentalities'', provides four instances of neoliberal ideology in governance and policy making, each of which underscores the variable forms that neoliberal policies can take. Also illustrated are the ways in which neoliberal policies have a tendency to reinforce and entrench their own logic, further encouraging devolution and privatization, possibly at the expense of environmental and social gain. The final section,`R esistance'', shows how neoliberalism is inherently uneven in its institutionalization, implementation, and governance: instead of being concerned with equity, neoliberalism values equity as a secondary outcome that occurs`naturally' as a result of efficient markets or correct pricing. As a result, the inequities created by neoliberal policies have a tendency to breed resistance. In``New Mexico: sustained yiel...

Geographies of race and ethnicity II

“…Failure on such a scale cannot be resolved by tinkering with policy. While geographers typically attribute such dynamics to neoliberalism (Faber, 2008; Holifield, 2007), this is only part of the story. For instance, what is the connection between court decisions that contract the definition of discrimination and neoliberalism?…”

“…Kurtz (2009) has observed that the racial state has been overlooked by EJ scholars. Fortunately, researchers have begun analyzing state programs and practices, showing how the state needs to be problematized (Holifield, 2007; Harrison, 2015; Konisky, 2015). Earlier I presented literature indicating that the state has not seriously sought to intervene in the environmental racism gap.…”

“…There is compelling evidence that environmental disparities between white and nonwhite communities, what I call the environmental racism gap, have not diminished and that the situation may have worsened (Bullard et al, 2007). EJ scholars have hinted at why the movement has failed to achieve substantive results, including industry capture of the state (Faber, 2008; Lievanos, 2012; Holifield, 2007); state co-optation of EJ activists (Harrison, 2015); and a less oppositional EJ movement (Carter, 2014; Benford, 2005). Yet, I argue a fundamental problem characterizing both EJ activism and research is the failure to theorize environmental racism as a constituent element of racial capitalism.…”

Towards enriched narrative political ecologies

“…A suite of other examples similarly call attention to the importance of discourses that position certain locales or populations as "backwards" or "uncivilized", regions as empty or "uninhabited", or ecosystems as "deforested" or "degraded", often making those sites subject to colonial or developmental intervention, or as available for resource exploitation (Daigle, 2018;Davis, 2004;Fairhead and Leach, 1995;Willems-Braun, 1997). Yet other contributions affirm the strength of critical work on discourse in nature-society fields: from analyses focused on neoliberalization discourses in environmental governance (Heynen et al, 2007); to the persistence of Malthusian notions of overpopulation or Hardin's notion of the "tragedy of the commons" (e.g. Ojeda et al, 2019;Robbins, 2012); to Edenic narratives or notions of the "noble savage" (Slater, 1995); or persistent notions of individual responsibility for environmental care (e.g.…”

Anticonsumption as Tactical Response to Institutionalized Subordination: The Case of Materially Deprived Anticonsumers

“…Scholars, however, note that state interventions have become less generous and discuss strategies of the state to compel community bodies to redress “the imbalance between private affluence and public poverty” without pursuing policies aimed at wealth redistribution ( Jessop 2002, p. 463; Lawrence, Richards, and Lyons 2013; Parsell and Marston 2016). One consequence is the rise of nonprofit and social enterprises that aim to fill gaps in coverage left by various levels of government (Holifield 2007).…”