Download or read book Democracy Versus Sustainability written by Boris Frankel and published by . This book was released on 2020-11-02 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over 150 years, political strategies and policies have been formed according to whether parties and movements believed that capitalism is either compatible or incompatible with democracy. This book challenges both supporters and opponents of the 'compatibility' thesis and calls for a rethink of politics in the age of environmental crises. It is divided into three parts. Part One critically questions the dominant narratives and assumptions held by many of the broad Left about the origins, causes and alternatives to our present condition. Part Two focuses on how prominent neo-Keynesians and Marxists have explained the crises of the past decade and why they are still operating with essentially pre-environmentalist conceptions of the conflict between 'capitalism and democracy'. Part Three offers one of the first detailed discussions of what kind of organisational, political economic and cultural issues that advocates of alternative post-carbon or post-capitalist societies will need to confront. In a penetrating critique of how the tensions between 'democracy and sustainability' have impacted the old debates over capitalism versus democracy, the author examines proposals and images of the 'good life' put forward by social democrats, greens, radical technological utopians, green growth ecological modernisers and degrowthers. Are the broadly held goals of greater social justice, ending poverty and inequality within and between affluent countries and low and middle-income societies possible without transgressing the fragile and damaged biophysical life support boundaries of the earth? Why is it that many who dispute the compatibility or incompatibility of 'capitalism and democracy' are yet to fully consider what policies, organisational forms and social changes flow from populations that favour democracy but oppose policies committed to greater environmental sustainability? These and many other issues are discussed in this unsettling new book which aims to stimulate us to rethink how we see our existing societies and future social, economic and political change.
Download or read book Democracy Versus Sustainability written by Boris Frankel and published by . This book was released on 2020-11-02 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over 150 years, political strategies and policies have been formed according to whether parties and movements believed that capitalism is either compatible or incompatible with democracy. This book challenges both supporters and opponents of the 'compatibility' thesis and calls for a rethink of politics in the age of environmental crises. It is divided into three parts. Part One critically questions the dominant narratives and assumptions held by many of the broad Left about the origins, causes and alternatives to our present condition. Part Two focuses on how prominent neo-Keynesians and Marxists have explained the crises of the past decade and why they are still operating with essentially pre-environmentalist conceptions of the conflict between 'capitalism and democracy'. Part Three offers one of the first detailed discussions of what kind of organisational, political economic and cultural issues that advocates of alternative post-carbon or post-capitalist societies will need to confront. In a penetrating critique of how the tensions between 'democracy and sustainability' have impacted the old debates over capitalism versus democracy, the author examines proposals and images of the 'good life' put forward by social democrats, greens, radical technological utopians, green growth ecological modernisers and degrowthers. Are the broadly held goals of greater social justice, ending poverty and inequality within and between affluent countries and low and middle-income societies possible without transgressing the fragile and damaged biophysical life support boundaries of the earth? Why is it that many who dispute the compatibility or incompatibility of 'capitalism and democracy' are yet to fully consider what policies, organisational forms and social changes flow from populations that favour democracy but oppose policies committed to greater environmental sustainability? These and many other issues are discussed in this unsettling new book which aims to stimulate us to rethink how we see our existing societies and future social, economic and political change.
Download or read book This Changes Everything written by Naomi Klein and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains why the environmental crisis should lead to an abandonment of "free market" ideologies and current political systems, arguing that a massive reduction of greenhouse emissions may offer a best chance for correcting problems.
Download or read book A People s Curriculum for the Earth written by Bill Bigelow and published by Rethinking Schools. This book was released on 2014-11-14 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A People’s Curriculum for the Earth is a collection of articles, role plays, simulations, stories, poems, and graphics to help breathe life into teaching about the environmental crisis. The book features some of the best articles from Rethinking Schools magazine alongside classroom-friendly readings on climate change, energy, water, food, and pollution—as well as on people who are working to make things better. A People’s Curriculum for the Earth has the breadth and depth ofRethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World, one of the most popular books we’ve published. At a time when it’s becoming increasingly obvious that life on Earth is at risk, here is a resource that helps students see what’s wrong and imagine solutions. Praise for A People's Curriculum for the Earth "To really confront the climate crisis, we need to think differently, build differently, and teach differently. A People’s Curriculum for the Earth is an educator’s toolkit for our times." — Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate "This volume is a marvelous example of justice in ALL facets of our lives—civil, social, educational, economic, and yes, environmental. Bravo to the Rethinking Schools team for pulling this collection together and making us think more holistically about what we mean when we talk about justice." — Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison "Bigelow and Swinehart have created a critical resource for today’s young people about humanity’s responsibility for the Earth. This book can engender the shift in perspective so needed at this point on the clock of the universe." — Gregory Smith, Professor of Education, Lewis & Clark College, co-author with David Sobel of Place- and Community-based Education in Schools
Download or read book Affluence and Freedom written by Pierre Charbonnier and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-06-22 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this pathbreaking book, Pierre Charbonnier opens up a new intellectual terrain: an environmental history of political ideas. His aim is not to locate the seeds of ecological thought in the history of political ideas as others have done, but rather to show that all political ideas, whether or not they endorse ecological ideals, are informed by a certain conception of our relationship to the Earth and to our environment. The fundamental political categories of modernity were founded on the idea that we could improve on nature, that we could exert a decisive victory over its excesses and claim unlimited access to earthly resources. In this way, modern thinkers imagined a political society of free individuals, equal and prosperous, alongside the development of industry geared towards progress and liberated from the Earth’s shackles. Yet this pact between democracy and growth has now been called into question by climate change and the environmental crisis. It is therefore our duty today to rethink political emancipation, bearing in mind that this can no longer draw on the prospect of infinite growth promised by industrial capitalism. Ecology must draw on the power harnessed by nineteenth-century socialism to respond to the massive impact of industrialization, but it must also rethink the imperative to offer protection to society by taking account of the solidarity of social groups and their conditions in a world transformed by climate change. This timely and original work of social and political theory will be of interest to a wide readership in politics, sociology, environmental studies and the social sciences and humanities generally.
Download or read book Alternative Societies written by Luke Martell and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2023-02-24 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a time of great gloom and doom internationally and of major global problems, this book offers an invaluable contribution to our understanding of alternative societies that could be better for humans and the environment. Bringing together a wide range of approaches and new strands of economic and social thinking from across the US, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, Luke Martell critically assesses contemporary alternatives and shows the ways forward with a convincing argument of pluralist socialism. Presenting a much-needed introduction to the debate on alternatives to capitalism, this ambitious book is not about how things are but how they can be!
Download or read book Handbook of Alternative Theories of Political Economy written by Stilwell, Frank and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2022-05-13 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Research Handbook advances entrepreneurship theory in new ways by integrating and contributing to contemporary theories of practice. Leading theorists and entrepreneurship experts, who are part of the growing Entrepreneurship as Practice (EaP) research community, expertly propose methodologies, theories and empirical insights into the constitution and consequences of entrepreneuring practices.
Download or read book Post Capitalist Futures written by Samuel Alexander and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-03-24 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the crises of capitalism continue to intensify, radical thinkers must conjure realistic and inspirational alternative futures beyond this failing social order. This book presents a stimulating array of essays exploring such post-capitalist futures. With contributions and perspectives from the Global North and Global South, central topics include ecosocialism, ecofeminism, degrowth, community economies, and the Green New Deal. There are also chapters offering analyses of land, energy, technology, universal basic services, and (re)localisation of economies. The book is in three parts. The first presents various alternative paradigms for thinking about – and working toward – post-capitalist futures. The second section offers perspectives on alternative governance strategies and approaches for post-capitalist futures. The closing section gathers various analyses of post-capitalist geographies and resistance. Going beyond critique and instead envisioning alternative imaginaries, this collection should challenge and inspire readers to think and act upon the range of possibilities immanent in our crisis-ridden present.
Download or read book After the Anthropocene written by Anne Fremaux and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-03-25 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The environmental crisis is the most prominent challenge humanity has ever had to battle with, and humanity is currently failing. The Anthropocene—or so called ‘age of humans’—is indeed a period when the survival of humanity has never been so much at risk. This book locates itself in the field of critical green political theory. Fremaux's analysis of the current environmental crisis calls for us to embrace radical shifts in our modes of being; or, in other words, socially progressive innovations that will be described within the unique framework of "Green Republicanism." In offering a constructive and emancipatory delineation of what could be considered an ecological civilization that is respectful of its natural environment and social differences, this book describes how to shift from an ‘arrogant speciesism’ and materialistic lifestyle to a post-anthropocentric ecological humanism focusing on the ‘good life’ within ecological limits. This new political regime calls for a radical reinvention of our societies, a decentering of the humans within our metaphysical worldview, and a withdrawal of the capitalist technosphere at the benefit of the biosphere. It will require a new economic paradigm that replaces the unsustainable capitalist logic of growth by sustainable degrowth and steady economics. Rooted in ethical thinking and political philosophy, this book seeks to offer a concrete roadmap of how sustainable societies can be fostered.
Download or read book Democracy Versus Sustainability written by Boris Frankel and published by . This book was released on 2021-11 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed analysis of how democracy versus sustainability will affect the political, economic and cultural conflicts over the transition to post-carbon societies.
Download or read book Interdisciplinary Reflections on South Asian Transitions written by Bhabani Shankar Nayak and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-09-07 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents an interdisciplinary understanding of the social, and economic drivers of far-right politics in South Asia. In response to the growth of xenophobia, reactionary nationalism, authoritarianism, and aggressive leadership in the region, it examines both the religious and economic conditions that have encouraged far-right populism and the profit-driven capitalist systems it produces. The book also delves into the unique histories of South Asia, along with the region's religious and cultural traditions, to provide context for broader economic and political trends and shed light on the consolidation of wealth and growing inequality. The book thoroughly explores the economic and political transformation of South Asia resulting from far-right populism, making it a valuable resource for students and researchers in the fields of political economy and South Asian studies.
Download or read book The Green State written by Robyn Eckersley and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2004-03-05 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What would constitute a definitively "green" state? In this important new book, Robyn Eckersley explores what it might take to create a green democratic state as an alternative to the classical liberal democratic state, the indiscriminate growth-dependent welfare state, and the neoliberal market-focused state—seeking, she writes, "to navigate between undisciplined political imagination and pessimistic resignation to the status quo." In recent years, most environmental scholars and environmentalists have characterized the sovereign state as ineffectual and have criticized nations for perpetuating ecological destruction. Going consciously against the grain of much current thinking, this book argues that the state is still the preeminent political institution for addressing environmental problems. States remain the gatekeepers of the global order, and greening the state is a necessary step, Eckersley argues, toward greening domestic and international policy and law. The Green State seeks to connect the moral and practical concerns of the environmental movement with contemporary theories about the state, democracy, and justice. Eckersley's proposed "critical political ecology" expands the boundaries of the moral community to include the natural environment in which the human community is embedded. This is the first book to make the vision of a "good" green state explicit, to explore the obstacles to its achievement, and to suggest practical constitutional and multilateral arrangements that could help transform the liberal democratic state into a postliberal green democratic state. Rethinking the state in light of the principles of ecological democracy ultimately casts it in a new role: that of an ecological steward and facilitator of transboundary democracy rather than a selfish actor jealously protecting its territory.
Download or read book Climate Change and Capitalism in Australia written by Hans A. Baer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-09-30 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recognizing that climate politics has been an increasingly contentious and heated topic in Australia over the past two decades, this book examines Australian capitalism as a driver of climate change and the nexus between the corporations and Coalition and Australian Labor parties. As a highly developed country, Australia is punching above its weight in terms of contributing to greenhouse gas emissions despite rising temperatures, droughts, water shortages and raging bushfires, storm surges and flooding, and the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef. Drawing upon both archival and ethnographic research, Hans Baer examines Australian climate politics at the margins, namely the Greens, the labour union, the environmental NGOs, and the grass-roots climate movement. Adopting a climate justice perspective which calls for "system change, not climate change" as opposed to the conventional approach of seeking to mitigate emissions through market mechanisms and techno-fixes, particularly renewable energy sources, this book posits system-challenging transitional steps to shift Australia toward an eco-socialist vision in keeping with a burgeoning global socio-ecological revolution. Accessibly written and including an interview with renowned comedian and climate activist Rod Quantock OAM, this book is essential reading for academics, students and general readers with an interest in climate change and climate activism.
Download or read book Australia in the Anthropocene written by Erik Paul and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is a study on planetary realism in a critical analysis of Australia in the age of the Anthropocene. It contextualises Australia in the degradation of the biosphere deeply harmful to humanity’s wellbeing, accelerating the threat of nuclear war and the tensions of a declining democracy. The Anthropocene is a critical period, threatening the viability of the Australian nation-state. It involves the decarbonisation of the economy driven by domestic and foreign corporate power, and the geopolitics of world domination as a close ally of the US. Australia’s militarisation for war against China must be contested in the pursuit for a green and just new deal framed in the foreign policy of reconciliation with Asia, including a fully cooperative entente with China.
Download or read book Carbon written by Kate Ervine and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-10-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carbon is the political challenge of our time. While critical to supporting life on Earth, too much carbon threatens to destroy life as we know it, with rising sea levels, crippling droughts, and catastrophic floods sounding the alarm on a future now upon us. How did we get here and what must be done? In this incisive book, Kate Ervine unravels carbon's distinct political economy, arguing that, to understand global warming and why it remains so difficult to address, we must go back to the origins of industrial capitalism and its swelling dependence on carbon-intensive fossil fuels – coal, oil, and natural gas – to grease the wheels of growth and profitability. Taking the reader from carbon dioxide as chemical compound abundant in nature to carbon dioxide as greenhouse gas, from the role of carbon in the rise of global capitalism to its role in reinforcing and expanding existing patterns of global inequality, and from carbon as object of environmental governance to carbon as tradable commodity, Ervine exposes emerging struggles to decarbonize our societies for what they are: battles over the very meaning of democracy and social and ecological justice.
Download or read book Australia in AUKUS written by Erik Paul and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2024 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on the making and implication of AUKUS for Australians in their relations with their own state and governance, the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world. AUKUS is an incipient military state and a highly dangerous development, moving rapidly to integrate society, the state and the economy in the US imperial project of warfare and global domination. It constitutes the crucible of a Leviathan state, militarising climate change. The study in this book is framed in a geopolitical analytical paradigm of revolutionary and counterrevolutionary movement and power energising together the existential threat of climate change to humans and capitalism, questioning the viability of the nation-state system, highlighting the predicament confronting Australians as a nation. The books analysis is presented in four chapters, broadly indicated in the contents page. The books architecture is framed in the political philosophy and intellectual legacy of Eric Hobsbawm, Rosa Luxemburg and George Orwell and their contribution to the understanding of the contradictions of the nation-state and imperialism, capitalism and socialism, in the emancipation of humanity from war. Erik Paul is a highly experienced lecturer and a widely published researcher specialising in Australias relations with the Asia-Pacific and the US and issues of regional and world peace.
Download or read book Renovating Democracy written by Nathan Gardels and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rise of populism in the West and the rise of China in the East have stirred a rethinking of how democratic systems work—and how they fail. The impact of globalism and digital capitalism is forcing worldwide attention to the starker divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” challenging how we think about the social contract. With fierce clarity and conviction, Renovating Democracy tears down our basic structures and challenges us to conceive of an alternative framework for governance. To truly renovate our global systems, the authors argue for empowering participation without populism by integrating social networks and direct democracy into the system with new mediating institutions that complement representative government. They outline steps to reconfigure the social contract to protect workers instead of jobs, shifting from a “redistribution” after wealth to “pre-distribution” with the aim to enhance the skills and assets of those less well-off. Lastly, they argue for harnessing globalization through “positive nationalism” at home while advocating for global cooperation—specifically with a partnership with China—to create a viable rules-based world order. Thought provoking and persuasive, Renovating Democracy serves as a point of departure that deepens and expands the discourse for positive change in governance.
