New Books: Governance of Natural Resources: Uncovering the Social Purpose of Materials in Nature Edited by Jin Sato (1 Aug 2013)

Governance of Natural Resources: Uncovering the Social Purpose of Materials in Nature

Edited by Jin Sato

PUBLICATION DATA:

ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1228-2

LANGUAGE:

English

PAGES:

252

PRICE:

US$36.00

PUBLISHER:

United Nations University Press

PUBLISHED:

August 2013

PAPERBACK

Scholarly communities and policy experts have a tendency to divide natural resources into categories, hindering holistic understanding. Similarly, the stakeholders themselves – the state, business and people – are conceived monolithically, making it difficult to grasp how business interests, intra-bureaucratic politics and civil society movements influence policy outcomes.

This book examines the socio-political dynamic generated by the environment and its attendant resources: how nature becomes a resource, and how this process in turn shapes our vision of society. It deploys a case study approach in examining the interactions between bureaucratic institutions; rural communities; national leaders and business elites, allowing for a more nuanced analysis. Particular emphasis is placed on how resources become the subject of conflict – but also opportunities for cooperation – and how different societies might establish more sustainable interactions with nature.

The way society controls natural resources is the foundation of both economic development and environmental conservation. The primary motive for natural resource management has been the development and production of marketable commodities, and institutional structures have been shaped accordingly. The Social Constitution of Natural Resources asks that we re-consider the very concept of resources, and how we view them.

This book will primarily be of interest to professionals – particularly development practitioners – and academics but all those who have a keen interest in environmental issues will find much to recommend. Graduate courses on environmental management should also find this useful as a source book.

About the Editor:

Jin Sato is Associate Professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Towards the dynamic analysis of resources, Jin Sato
State inaction in resource governance: Natural resource control and
bureaucratic oversight in Thailand, Jin Sato
Natural resource governance in Latin America, William Ascher
Domestic politics and environmental standards: China’s policy-making
process for regulating vehicle emissions, Eri Saikawa
People and business in the appropriation of Cambodia’s forests, Andrew Robert Cock
Incomplete mechanisms for conflict resolution: The case of Mt Pulag National Park, Philippines,Masahide Horita and Doreen Allasiw
Participation and diluted stakes in river management in Japan: The challenge of alternative constructions of resource governance, Naruhiko Takesada
Distribution of mineral resources in Zambia: A longitudinal analysis of the mining community,
Michiko Ishisone
Post-growth community development and rediscovery of resources: A case of rural regeneration in a Japanese mountain village, Naofumi Suzuki
Fishermen’s plantations as a way of resource governance in Japan, Tomohiro Oh

For more information:

http://unu.edu/publications/books/governance-of-natural-resources-uncovering-the-social-purpose-of-materials-in-nature.html#overview