‘Power with’ and ‘power to’ in environmental politics and the transition to sustainability

Partzsch, Lena

doi:10.1080/09644016.2016.1256961

Cited by 105 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Serious progress in sustainable supply chain and forest management is inextricably tied up with questions of power, understood here as conscious, structural mechanisms that shape decisions affecting a collective environment [5,6]. While admitting that structure and agency are mutually constitutive in an ongoing process, we make a strong claim for acknowledging the agency of NGOs in natural resource governance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The assumption that actors only unfold their power when acting together can be linked to a perception of power with. Power with is exercised when actors are finding common ground among diverse interests, developing shared values and creating collective strength by organizing with one another [6,69]. It implies processes of learning from one another, questioning self-perceptions and actively building up a new awareness of individuals or groups.…”

Section: Power With: Collaborative Efforts To Protect Global Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[8][9]. This understanding of power has been elaborated with reference to Arendt [6,71]. Arendt [7] (p. 44) argues that power only exists between people who act in concert.…”

Section: Power With: Collaborative Efforts To Protect Global Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Barking Up the Right Tree? NGOs and Corporate Power for Deforestation-Free Supply Chains

Weber

Partzsch

2018

Sustainability

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

: Supply chain sustainability has become a key issue for multinational corporations (MNCs). Hundreds of MNCs in agri-commodity sectors have recently committed to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. In this article, we examine the power of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participating in two initiatives that support the implementation of such commitments: the Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) and Transparency for Sustainable Economies (Trase). Drawing on document and literature research, participant observation as well as semi-structured interviews, we find that these NGOs exercise power with MNCs, in particular in terms of raising awareness and changing corporate self-perceptions. At the same time, though, there is a bias towards representing the positions and interests of materially strong actors in global supply chains. In doing so, NGOs risk reinforcing MNCs’ power over more marginalized actors. In this light, we argue that initiatives such as AFi and Trase can only be a first step towards a new economic system that respects ecological limits and delivers social justice. In order to shape transformative change, NGOs need to more actively push discussions about equitable distribution, emancipation and justice in natural resource governance.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Power With: Collaborative Efforts To Protect Global Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Barking Up the Right Tree? NGOs and Corporate Power for Deforestation-Free Supply Chains

Weber

Partzsch

2018

Sustainability

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We might expect to encounter this when public actors try to address wicked issues or in contexts where the state is weak and/or underdeveloped (see Partzsch 2017 for a discussion about the differences between 'power to, 'power with' and 'power over' in environmental politics).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who shapes local climate policy? Unpicking governance arrangements in English and German cities

Eckersley

2017

Environmental Politics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A new framework for analysing subnational policy-making is applied to climate governance in the 'twin towns' of Newcastle upon Tyne and Gelsenkirchen. Low levels of resource interdependence between central and local government in England mean that Newcastle Council has to rely heavily on other horizontal actors to achieve its climate objectives. In contrast, Gelsenkirchen Council receives substantial support from higher tiers of government, which gives it greater control over policymaking within the locality. Greater independence between tiers of government can make it more difficult for subnational bodies to adopt the kind of ambitious policies that may be necessary to combat wicked and/or significant policy challenges such as climate change. Instead, interdependent 'joint-decision' systems, which facilitate mutual support across tiers of government, may be better equipped to ensure that subnational public bodies have the capacity to act appropriately.

show abstract

“…This theoretical perspective recognizes the multifaceted nature of complex adaptive system policy and practice and, we argue, highlights the need to focus on distributions of power in terms of power with a focus on joint action in solidarity and power with a focus on single actors and separate groups that act [27]. This includes shifts within and across "adaptive governance systems", and what this means for enabling adaptation policies.…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivementioning

confidence: 98%

Can Regional-Scale Governance and Planning Support Transformative Adaptation? A Study of Two Places

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The idea that climate change adaptation is best leveraged at the local scale is a well-institutionalized script in both research and formal governance. This idea is based on the argument that the local scale is where climate change impacts are “felt” and experienced. However, sustainable and just climate futures require transformations in systems, norms, and cultures that underpin and reinforce our unsustainable practices and development pathways, not just “local” action. Governance interventions are needed to catalyse such shifts, connecting multilevel and multiscale boundaries of knowledge, values, levels and organizational remits. We critically reflect on current adaptation governance processes in Victoria, Australia and the Gothenburg region, Sweden to explore whether regional-scale governance can provide just as important leverage for adaptation as local governance, by identifying and addressing intersecting gaps and challenges in adaptation at local levels. We suggest that regional-scale adaptation offers possibilities for transformative change because they can identify, connect, and amplify small-scale (local) wins and utilize this collective body of knowledge to challenge and advocate for unblocking stagnated, institutionalized policies and practices, and support transformative change.

show abstract

‘Power with’ and ‘power to’ in environmental politics and the transition to sustainability

Cited by 105 publications

References 47 publications

Barking Up the Right Tree? NGOs and Corporate Power for Deforestation-Free Supply Chains

Barking Up the Right Tree? NGOs and Corporate Power for Deforestation-Free Supply Chains

Who shapes local climate policy? Unpicking governance arrangements in English and German cities

Can Regional-Scale Governance and Planning Support Transformative Adaptation? A Study of Two Places

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About