Environmental Politics and Institutional Change

An examination of the responsiveness of Australian political institutions to environmental concerns.

Elim Papadakis (Author)

9780521556316, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 18 November 1996

256 pages, 2 b/w illus.
24.6 x 18.9 x 1.4 cm, 0.46 kg

Environmentalism is one of the major issues of our time. A key question is how responsive are Australian institutions to the challenges posed by environmental issues? This book focuses on how effectively political institutions and organisations are able to address concerns about the deterioration of the environment. The book considers the key players in environmental debate and policy-making: social movements, interest groups, political parties, the media, the parliaments and the bureaucracy. It contains much rich empirical material. This stimulating and original book makes an important contribution not only to environmental politics, but to the ways in which institutions can become more effective and responsive to social forces. It will be of interest not only to political scientists and sociologists, but to environmental activists and policy-makers themselves.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Innovation and tradition
2. Stimulus and response: the rise of environmentalism
3. Framing the analysis
Part II. Political Institutions, Innovation and Social Change: 4. The 'centrality' of political institutions
5. The circularity of political communication and dialogue
6. Disrupting the circularity of political communication: the role of social movements
7. Design, evolution and the environmental movement
Part III: Political Organisations and Adaptation: 8. Inertia and innovation
9. Missed opportunities: the Liberal and National parties
10. Leading the charge for the green vote: The Australian Labor Party
11. Fundamentally green: the Australian Democrats
12. Overcoming institutional inertia
Part IV. The Media, Agenda Setting and Public Opinion: 13. The articulation of environmental issues by the media
14. Media stereotypes and adaptation
15. Public opinion and survey research
16. Mass opinion on environmental issues
Part V. Conclusion: 17. Possibilities for constructive dialogue.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Biography: historical, political & military [BGH]