Bureaucracies, including large corporations and governmental agencies, are based on hierarchy and prone to secrecy. They encourage highly specialized forms of knowledge and structure themselves in compartmentalized ways. Conversely, environmental problems cut across all artificial divisions and boundaries. As a result, broad-brushed environmentalism efforts have emerged as dissident social movements. Understanding these problems and how they might be resolved requires transcending divisions of government, economy and knowledge. The various authors represented here attempt to lay a framework by which governments and bureaucracies might adapt to better meet environmental challenges. They conclude that solving environmental problems will require integrative thinking and new forms of direct public involvement in governance. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
"Anyone wishing to explore the cutting edge of environmental policy and management will find this book an invaluable tool." - The Honourable David Anderson, Minister of Environment, Government of Canada, 1999-2004
Bureaucracies, including large corporations and governmental agencies, are based on hierarchy and prone to secrecy. They encourage highly specialized forms of knowledge and structure themselves in compartmentalized ways. In stark contrast, environmental problems cut across all artificial divisions and boundaries.
Managing Leviathan illustrates the nature of environmental problems from genetically modified crops to climate change, from urban sprawl to toxic chemicals to trace pharmaceuticals in our water supply. Understanding these problems, and how they might be resolved, requires that we transcend the divisions of government, economy, and knowledge. Solutions often also require the mobilization of citizen knowledge and values. Are governments and bureaucracies up to the complex task? How might they adapt to be better suited to meet the new environmental challenges that continuously arise?
This extensively revised edition of Managing Leviathan expands from a North American to a global perspective and includes new articles on both European and Australian experiences as well as on transnational environmental issues. The overall pattern is remarkably clear: environmental administration demands integrative thinking and new forms of direct public involvement in governance.
