Class 3
Communicative rationality and environmental governance
Christos Zografos, PhD
Institute of Environmental Science & Technology (ICTA)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
christos.zografos@uab.cat
Power, politics, and environmental change
MA Environmental Humanities 2012-13
Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Introduction
•Main point
–Communicative rationality (a rationality different from HE) can be the basis for a more inclusive
and legitimate way of making environmental (public) decisions
–But it has some limitations
–
•Why should you know this?
–Because this type of decision-making has a potential to be more inclusive, fair (environmental
justice) and democratic
–
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Class outline
•Difference: HE vs. communicative rationality
•Why communicative rationality is important for good environmental governance
•Limitations of communicative rationality and deliberative decision-making
•
2

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION
•How (in what aspects) is communicative action different to homo economicus? Why is this important
for deliberative decision-making?
3

Question
•What does the article say is “a central aspect of the homo economicus view of human behaviour”?
4

HE as instrumental rational action
•Instrumental action
•Action = a means for achieving given/ predetermined goals
–Material outcomes
–Satisfaction of values
–
•Central aspect of HE view of human behaviour: understanding of human action as instrumental
–
•Example
•The ‘rational’ herder
–
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Question
•What does the article say is “the essence of rational action” for communicative rationality?
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Reaching understanding
•Communicative action:
–the essence of rational action is not always instrumental (achieve individual goals) but it can
also be to reach understanding between oneself and other actors, or society in general (Dryzek,
2000)
–Type of action involved with communicative rationality may thus reflect logics that go beyond
instrumental seeking of pre-defined ends
•
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Question
•How do we make decisions when people’s rationality is oriented towards “reaching understanding”?
–i.e. when people participate in a group that seeks solutions and they are motivated by the urge to
“reach understanding”?
–On what basis?
–What principle do we use?
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Consensus
•Communicative action:
–on basis of shared understanding that goals are reasonable or merit-worthy
•Communicative action succeeds: when actors freely agree that their goals are reasonable/ they
merit cooperative behaviour
–Strategic action succeeds: when actors achieve their individual goals
•Communicative action: a consensual form of social interaction
–Consensus: consent over a favourite option of those participating
–Not always or absolute agreement
–Not through voting, but through discussion
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Deliberative democracy
•Democratic life emerges in situations where institutions enable citizens reach such understanding
–By rationally debating matters of public importance: deliberation
–
•Deliberation: decide on an issue by:
–Discussing it, bringing in all arguments
–Listening to others (incl. but not limited to ‘expert’-knowledge) opinions
–Reflecting on what others have said: give space for
–Change initial views on topic on the basis of what you’ve heard
–Reach agreement, consensus, on merit-worthy course of collective action
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Question
•What are the benefits of making decisions on the basis of deliberation, i.e. after:
–Discussing, bringing in all arguments
–Listening to others (incl. but not limited to ‘expert’-knowledge) opinions
–Reflecting on what others have said: give space for
–Change initial views on topic on the basis of what you’ve heard
–Reach agreement, consensus, on merit-worthy course of collective action
•
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Benefits
•Deliberation of matters of public importance: most legitimate and useful guide to public
decision-making
•Legitimate: because
–All possible views are taken into account during decision-making
–Agreement over course of collective action is result of voluntary agreement/ change of opinions
•Useful: because effective
–When your views have been considered you are more likely to not obstruct implementation of
policies as you have already been part of process and have been convinced about usefulness of
action taken
•
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Implementing deliberative democracy
•Deliberative public spheres: forums
•Public forums to discuss questions of neighbourhood life where people with different customs and
moral principles (e.g. religion, entertainment) is at stake
•Public forums to discuss wind farm siting decisions: people change their opinions/ preferences in
response to what they hear been said
•Example: Nat’l Issues Forums (USA)
•“non partisan, nationwide network of organizations and individuals who sponsor public forums and
training institutions for public deliberation.”
•Everyday citizens get to deliberate on the various issue through NIF forums, e.g. civil
rights,education, energy, government, etc.
•“Think, Deliberate, Act.” is the slogan on the NIF website
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Environmental governance
•Legitimate and effective environmental governance (way of making public decisions re:
environmental change) should involve creating such deliberation public spheres
–E.g. in form of forums
•Also: procedural environmental justice potential
–Fairness in the process of making environmental decisions
–Representativeness of views in decision-making processes
–DD: includes and so legitimises multiple views, priorities, values, languages of valuation, etc.
–
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CRITICISMS AND LIMITATIONS
•
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Genuine deliberation
•Genuine deliberation to take place: requires
–Absence: of power and direct/ indirect coercion
–Absence: strategic (e.g. manipulative) behaviour
–Presence: rational argumentation and critical discussion
–To: foster reflection and to enable shift in preferences
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Question
•Read from: “Beyond the scope of debate” (p.2129) – until: “(participant, female, business
interest)” (p.2131)
•
•Question: identify at least three main issues with deliberative fora
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Injustice
•“Cooke and Kothari (2001) point to the tyranny of the group—where group dynamics lead to
participatory decisions that reinforce the interests of the already powerful” (pp. 2129- 2130 •Use
deliberative fora to legitimise injustice (“interests of the powerful”)
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Strategic action
•“In a number of cases, we found that representatives of a range of interest-groups, who shared
similar goals or values, chose to work together, to agree objectives and priorities. In this way,
they were able to pool power in deliberative fora to ensure a particular instrumental purpose was
met” (p.2131) •Note: they felt this was done by others, but also that they should do it next time!
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Instrumental use of DD
•Dramaturgical behaviour
–Hide an image of themselves, acceptable representation to ‘consensus audience’
–Business reps: openness about organisational goals and values could create conflict and damage
image, so they hide these
–Rather: use alternative communication channels (‘backstage performance’) to achieve their goals…
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What happens?
•Fora spaces where:
–Instrumental (e.g. strategic action) instead of behaviours trying to “reach understanding”
–Communicative rationality: not realised
–Injustice is legitimised (“interests of powerful”)
–De-legitimising deliberative democracy
•Instead of spaces of legitimate decision production and “reaching understanding”
–DD response: but is this genuine deliberation?
•
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Bickerstaff & Walker, 2005
•“efforts which emphasise the fairness and competence of decision-making processes are important
•“but more basic questions regarding the distribution of political power (inside and outside
deliberative forums)
•“and the institutional capacity for democratic change need be addressed
•“to fully consider the importance of deliberative institutions”
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A final point
•Read: “Panama president cancels Colon land sale after clashes”
•Question: What has been the result of that conflict?
•Consensus (the objective of DD) vs. conflict: conflict is not always a bad thing
–Notwithstanding the severity and undesirability of people dying
–It can some times help address existing injustice and power imbalances
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Next class
•We will see a case study of environmental conflict (over wind energy)
•
•And consider some basic power dimensions of the conflict
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