222
9 The Politics for a Fairer Bioeconomy
than augment smallholders’ exposure to price fluctuations (see Clapp and Moseley
2021).
9.4 Avenues for Further Research
Although this book has globally appraised the phenomenon of biofuels expansion
as the most advanced proxy for the bioeconomy, its in-depth analysis has focused
principally on emerging economies. Further research may use this analytical framework to assess how biofuel or bioeconomy politics has varied in highly industrialized
countries or less developed countries. That would give information on those particular contexts and help point out differences and similarities between these country
groups—offering an up-to-date understanding of the current global context beyond
simple North-South bipolarity.
Further research could also expand the scope of socio-political analysis to nextgeneration biofuels and other novel bioproducts such as bioplastics. So far, these
newer products have been assessed mostly in technical terms and, to a lesser extent,
ecological and economic ones. However, their expansion requires research on what
related institutions are emerging, the agents behind their promotion, and the impacts
of their eventual large-scale uptake on allocation and access. These sectors can
be examined within themselves and in terms of the socio-political feasibility and
implications of a broader bioeconomy transition.
Lastly, there is a clear need for more research on the socio-political dimensions
of sustainable development governance. The spread of a sustainability paradigm and
bioeconomy promotion makes that need even more urgent, as a focus limited only to
technical “solutions” might create worse cures than the diseases they aim to address.
It is critical to know who controls those cures. In other words: who owns, does, and
gets what in each of the various emerging “green” sectors within the bioeconomy
and beyond.
9.5 Final Considerations
Although biofuels and the bioeconomy offer significant sustainable development
opportunities, this book has argued that the agenda has been “locked” by dominant state and agribusiness actors down on an unsustainable path. It has shown that
allocation and access issues cannot be dissociated from agency and governance architectures, for those issues feed back into agency and architectures, and significantly
influence them. Therefore, any development approach—irrespective of labels such as
“green” or “sustainable”—must also be understood as a political project. Pretended
political neutrality silently maintains the status quo by reducing critical concepts such
as participation and empowerment to a purely economic sense and sustainability to
superficial technocratic refurbishing. In truth, dominant coalitions are hesitant to
9 The Politics for a Fairer Bioeconomy
than augment smallholders’ exposure to price fluctuations (see Clapp and Moseley
2021).
9.4 Avenues for Further Research
Although this book has globally appraised the phenomenon of biofuels expansion
as the most advanced proxy for the bioeconomy, its in-depth analysis has focused
principally on emerging economies. Further research may use this analytical framework to assess how biofuel or bioeconomy politics has varied in highly industrialized
countries or less developed countries. That would give information on those particular contexts and help point out differences and similarities between these country
groups—offering an up-to-date understanding of the current global context beyond
simple North-South bipolarity.
Further research could also expand the scope of socio-political analysis to nextgeneration biofuels and other novel bioproducts such as bioplastics. So far, these
newer products have been assessed mostly in technical terms and, to a lesser extent,
ecological and economic ones. However, their expansion requires research on what
related institutions are emerging, the agents behind their promotion, and the impacts
of their eventual large-scale uptake on allocation and access. These sectors can
be examined within themselves and in terms of the socio-political feasibility and
implications of a broader bioeconomy transition.
Lastly, there is a clear need for more research on the socio-political dimensions
of sustainable development governance. The spread of a sustainability paradigm and
bioeconomy promotion makes that need even more urgent, as a focus limited only to
technical “solutions” might create worse cures than the diseases they aim to address.
It is critical to know who controls those cures. In other words: who owns, does, and
gets what in each of the various emerging “green” sectors within the bioeconomy
and beyond.
9.5 Final Considerations
Although biofuels and the bioeconomy offer significant sustainable development
opportunities, this book has argued that the agenda has been “locked” by dominant state and agribusiness actors down on an unsustainable path. It has shown that
allocation and access issues cannot be dissociated from agency and governance architectures, for those issues feed back into agency and architectures, and significantly
influence them. Therefore, any development approach—irrespective of labels such as
“green” or “sustainable”—must also be understood as a political project. Pretended
political neutrality silently maintains the status quo by reducing critical concepts such
as participation and empowerment to a purely economic sense and sustainability to
superficial technocratic refurbishing. In truth, dominant coalitions are hesitant to