Toward a Bioregional State: A Series of Letters About Political Theory and Formal Institutional Design in the Era of Sustainability [Paperback]

Mark Whitaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2005

Environmental sociologist Mark D. Whitaker is a comparative historical researcher on the politics of environmental degradation and sustainability. Toward A Bioregional State is his novel approach to development and to sustainability. He proposes that instead of sustainability being an issue of population scale, managerial economics, or technocratic planning, an overhaul of formal democratic institutions is required. This is because environmental degradation has more to do with the biased interactions of formal institutions and informal corruption. Because of corruption, we have environmental degradation. Current formal democratic institutions of states are forms of informal gatekeeping, and as such, intentionally maintain democracy as ecologically “out of sync”. He argues that we are unable to reach sustainability without a host of additional ecological checks and balances. These ecological checks and balances would demote corrupt uses of formal institutions by removing capacities for gatekeeping against democratic feedback. Sustainability is a politics that is already here—only waiting to be formally organized.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Environmental sociologist Dr. Mark D. Whitaker has puzzled over comparative political dynamics of environmental degradation for 10 years. Toward a Bioregional State shows how state institutional change is a requirement for environmental sustainability. He lives in the Upper Rock watershed, Madison, Wisconsin, and enjoys the changing seasons at the UW-Arboretum.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (May 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595346146
• ISBN-13: 978-0595346141
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,230,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for social development, November 26, 2009

By 

Bjoern Schmidt (Germany, Cologne) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Toward a Bioregional State: A Series of Letters About Political Theory and Formal Institutional Design in the Era of Sustainability (Paperback)

Dear Customer,

My name is Björn and I am a law student from Germany. I had the pleasure to take part in two of Dr. Whitaker's readings. Up to now I have only read an excerpt of his book, but as I ordered the book just recently I will soon have the opportunity to read the full book. I have learned about a lot of important issues in Dr. Whitaker's readings and as the book is a good destillation of the knowledge Dr. Whitaker teaches and the ideas he offers I warmly recommend it.

Summary:
The short excerpt of Whitaker's book "Toward a Bioregional State" contains the introduction to his book and the second chapter respectively #4. In his introduction the author sets off describing the purpose of his book. I will comprehend the article by describing the problem the author sees with existing constitutions, shortly outlining introduction's overview about the offered solutions and will finally describe the given example in chapter 2.

The author argues that the formal constitutions conceived in the enlightenment era are incomplete. They would lack the institutions that lead to sustainability and the inventors could not have foreseen the structures of informal power that would be fostered by or at least could not be controlled by these institutions. These informal power alliances would then lead to monopolization which inevitably entails environmental degradation and state unsustainability. These alliances would further gatekeep against the debate of new ideas and political movements that desire institutional change by corrupting politicians and preventing active participation of citizens. He calls this an ecological tyranny. In the current situation democratic participation would further and further decrease, because the formal constitutions not yet foster a responsible individualistic citizen who is concerned about environmental problems. Finally he criticizes that the formal state does not take into account and is harmfully kept distinct of the political power that originates from science, consumption respectively economics, financial actors and material organizations, too.

In the opinion of the author, states have to become aware of their surrounding environmental conditions and structure their constitutions accordingly. The state should also "check and balance" against the in current constitutions neglected informal parties which have a natural desire to exclude other parties or oversee and publicly deconstruct environmental problems. The politic arena should be preserved in a way that ideas can freely be discussed and the ruling informal parties cannot gatekeep against them. He suggests that the formal structure of states and especially their electoral areas can be organized around geographical features. Ruling parties would up to now rather organize electoral areas to make a reelection more probable. Rather organizing them about a common concern would make these areas much more representative and foster voting participation.

In chapter two of his books he gives one example for this reorganization. This is the designing of electoral districts around watersheds. Current electoral districts would be "gerrymandered" and therefore be counterproductive to representive elections. Ruling parties would design districts to include as many voters that favor their party as possible. It is very tough to overcome this designed majority and the incentive to vote is accordingly low. Designed to one permanent party these districts readily invite corruption as there are opportunities for relationships with everlasting never exchanged political actors which cannot be challenged. In contradiction to this many local political movements would originate from environmental concerns. By designing the electoral districts accordingly the constitution would facilitate an already existing tendency so that environmental concerns can be politically engaged with and problems be solved.

Comments:
For me the outstanding special feature of this text compared to all others in the reading is that it is not only tracing and criticizing existing problems or respectively describing theoretical concepts of current societies. The author is rather giving alternative examples which can actually be implemented in reality and tested for their usefulness. While other texts only shortly give an outlook about necessary changes and very abstract postulate a desirable change this text is the illustration of an elaborated concept of ideas designed to change and improve society. It could be called a social invention if it would be tested in practice and actually yield benefits for society in a whole.

While I am favoring a different approach (which is the abandonment of money and the erection of a total new system) I see this as a parallel way to state improvement that is working with the current systems and tries to eliminate its flaws and drawbacks.

by Bjoern Schmidt