that need to be transformed: production, technology and finance. There is also a
danger of romanticizing and exaggerating the potential for citizen action in terms
of people’s time and capacity to engage in constant mobilization, or because of
the high personal and political risks of doing so in many parts of the world where
mobilizing citizens quickly run up against elite control over resources.
These four narratives, while conflicting in many respects, contain elements of
critique and propose solutions that cut across one another. For example, some might
share the view that a more whole-scale reordering of society–nature relationships
is ultimately required, but would see a role for pricing mechanisms, technological
innovation and institutional reforms in the meantime. It is partly a question of timeframes of change, partly an assessment of how the world is now and the practicalities
of meaningful shifts, and partly a function of ideal futures and ideological leanings.
Ultimately, it is about the messy politics of day-to-day negotiations and alliancebuilding amid shifting circumstances, opportunity structures and prevalent
uncertainties, and the pragmatic politics of tactics and strategy that any green
transformation requires (Schmitz, this book).
Overall, then, some types of transformation politics are more likely around some
issues in some parts of the world than others. This depends, among other things,
on the degree of democratic space that exists, available technological capacity,
the development and functioning of markets, the power and commitment of the
state, and the influence of citizen mobilization and action. Some environmental
challenges are perhaps more amenable to technological fixes, while others are more
characterized by murky political economy and more challenging struggles, though
none, we would suggest, is devoid of politics, despite implicit assumptions to the
contrary. Unsurprisingly, therefore, there are no standard solutions, and no singular
roadmap or blueprint, for realizing green transformations.
Multiple transformations: strategies for change
What, then, do the chapters say about theories of change, the building of alliances
and the practical politics of green transformations? Clearly, contributors to this book
come at these issues from different angles, conceptually, politically and practically,
drawing on different theories of power and change, reflected in different visions
of sustainability and narratives of green transformations outlined above. Some
emphasize the politics of knowledge (Leach, Stirling, Millstone); others state policy
(Mazzucato, Spratt); others change through networks (Smith and Ely, Leach and
Scoones), others the incentives required to form interest-based coalitions (Schmitz,
Lockwood) and others the historical role of broader social forces (Newell). And
indeed many chapters combine perspectives, as power and politics take many forms
and these are inevitably co-constituted and context-specific.
Likewise, and emerging from these perspectives on power and politics, each of
the chapters suggests different pathways of change. Each provides different accounts
of what alliances could be constructed, what accommodations might be reached,
what practical tactics and strategies could be deployed, and how these combine
20 Ian Scoones, Peter Newell and Melissa Leach
danger of romanticizing and exaggerating the potential for citizen action in terms
of people’s time and capacity to engage in constant mobilization, or because of
the high personal and political risks of doing so in many parts of the world where
mobilizing citizens quickly run up against elite control over resources.
These four narratives, while conflicting in many respects, contain elements of
critique and propose solutions that cut across one another. For example, some might
share the view that a more whole-scale reordering of society–nature relationships
is ultimately required, but would see a role for pricing mechanisms, technological
innovation and institutional reforms in the meantime. It is partly a question of timeframes of change, partly an assessment of how the world is now and the practicalities
of meaningful shifts, and partly a function of ideal futures and ideological leanings.
Ultimately, it is about the messy politics of day-to-day negotiations and alliancebuilding amid shifting circumstances, opportunity structures and prevalent
uncertainties, and the pragmatic politics of tactics and strategy that any green
transformation requires (Schmitz, this book).
Overall, then, some types of transformation politics are more likely around some
issues in some parts of the world than others. This depends, among other things,
on the degree of democratic space that exists, available technological capacity,
the development and functioning of markets, the power and commitment of the
state, and the influence of citizen mobilization and action. Some environmental
challenges are perhaps more amenable to technological fixes, while others are more
characterized by murky political economy and more challenging struggles, though
none, we would suggest, is devoid of politics, despite implicit assumptions to the
contrary. Unsurprisingly, therefore, there are no standard solutions, and no singular
roadmap or blueprint, for realizing green transformations.
Multiple transformations: strategies for change
What, then, do the chapters say about theories of change, the building of alliances
and the practical politics of green transformations? Clearly, contributors to this book
come at these issues from different angles, conceptually, politically and practically,
drawing on different theories of power and change, reflected in different visions
of sustainability and narratives of green transformations outlined above. Some
emphasize the politics of knowledge (Leach, Stirling, Millstone); others state policy
(Mazzucato, Spratt); others change through networks (Smith and Ely, Leach and
Scoones), others the incentives required to form interest-based coalitions (Schmitz,
Lockwood) and others the historical role of broader social forces (Newell). And
indeed many chapters combine perspectives, as power and politics take many forms
and these are inevitably co-constituted and context-specific.
Likewise, and emerging from these perspectives on power and politics, each of
the chapters suggests different pathways of change. Each provides different accounts
of what alliances could be constructed, what accommodations might be reached,
what practical tactics and strategies could be deployed, and how these combine
20 Ian Scoones, Peter Newell and Melissa Leach