1st Edition

The Geographies of Garbage Governance Interventions, Interactions and Outcomes

By Anna R. Davies Copyright 2008
    214 Pages
    by Routledge

    214 Pages
    by Routledge

    Previously perceived as a local, technical issue for governments, waste management is now also a global, socio-political process involving complex patterns of multi-level governance. Yet these geographical complexities have not previously been considered in any detail. This book examines the neglected geographies of waste management, in particular, the integral processes of trans-localization and politicization that are emerging in waste networks. Illustrated by in-depth case studies from New Zealand and Ireland, it critically analyzes the interaction between political scales of governing waste, from the local to the supra-national level. It also looks at the impact of wider systems of governance, civil society and the private sector on waste management policy and practices. In doing so, the book provides a better understanding of waste governance and recommendations for better management of the waste sector in the future.

    Contents: Introduction; Garbage and governance: an introduction; Part 1 Theories, Concepts and Frameworks: Governance, environmental governance and garbage; Garbage governance in international context. Part 2 Governing Garbage: Case Studies: A comparative framework: contextual background; Garbage governance in Ireland: waste wars in the Emerald Isle?; Garbage governance in New Zealand: clean and green? Part 3 Comparisons and Conclusions: Comparing garbage governance: shades of green governance; Geographies of garbage governance: some concluding thoughts; Bibliography; Index.

    Biography

    Anna R. Davies is University Lecturer in the Department of Geography, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland.

    'In this important contribution to the debate on environmental governance, Davies demonstrates the multilevel and multiactor nature of governing garbage. With its in-depth, comparative analysis and conceptual insight, this book will provide students and scholars with new ways of thinking about environmental policy and the pressing problem of municipal waste.' Harriet Bulkeley, Durham University, UK 'Municipal waste - often regarded as an unglamorous issue - is rising rapidly on the political agenda. Anna Davies's book analyses the political, cultural and spatial dimensions of this sector, previously approached primarily from technical and economic perspectives. Drawing on experience in a variety of contexts, The Geographies of Garbage Governance makes a valuable and timely contribution.' Susan Owens, University of Cambridge, UK 'This book offers an in-depth analysis of waste management issues from a socio-political viewpoint, and offers a uniquely spatial perspective on the mechanics and governance of waste management focusing on the ’social, cultural, political and economic contexts and networks that shape waste landscapes...' Irish Geography '...a scholarly and intricate examination of municipal waste governance structures and instruments.' Environment and Planning A 'The Geographies of Garbage Governance provides an excellent synopsis of the increasing body of research which seeks to explore the contested area of waste management, policy, and governance through the use of two detailed case studies (Ireland and New Zealand). This is build on an impressive knowledge of the wider debates which focus on environmental governance and state policy. Indeed, the blend of theoretical, conceptual, and case-study material makes this book accessible to students of environmental policy, academic researchers, and policy makers.' Environment and Planning C '...contains some valuable ideas about the nature of governance, with a scholarly research design and framework t