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Governance and Sustainable Development

Publications

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Khoo, S (forthcoming 2010) Review of Haggard, S & Kaufman R, Development, Democracy and Welfare States, Critical Social Policy 30 (1)

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McGrath, B. (2010) Social capital in community, family and work lives of Brazilian migrant parents in Ireland, Community, Work & Family 13(4).

The paper examines a recent phenomenon of Brazilian migration to Ireland using social capital as a framework of analysis. The analysis specifically makes use of Portes and Sensenbrenner’s (1993; and Portes, 1998) typology of social capital sources: bounded solidarity, value introjection, reciprocity and enforceable trust.

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Chris Curtin (2009) 'Identity-building in Regional Initiatives for Rural Development: Comparing Ireland's Lake District and Norway's Mountain Region' (with Torill Meistad and Frances Hannon). In Jo Lee Vergunst, Arnar Árnason and Mark Shucksmith (eds.), Comparing Rural Development: Continuity and Change in the Countryside of Western Europe (Perspectives on Rural Policy and Planning) (Ashgate).

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Ricca Edmondson and Hans-Joachim von Kondratowitz, eds, Valuing Older People: A Humanist Approach to Ageing (Bristol, Policy Press, 2009).

How can we understand older people as human beings, value their wisdom, and appreciate that their norms and purposes matter in themselves as well as responding to those of others? Using a life-course approach, this book claims that the complexity and potential creativity of later life demands a humanistic vision of older people and ageing, one which denies that older people are ’other’ than ourselves and emphasises instead the ’ties of recognition and concern’ that bind human beings together. At the same time, it acknowledges the specificities of different experiences of older age and the diversities of meanings connected with them. It presents a range of contexts and methodologies through which such meanings can be understood. The book interprets ageing as a process of creating meaning, carried out by older people but significant for those around them, and influenced by the norms and values of their societies as well as their political and economic structures. It then considers the impact of social norms on older people’s capacities to age in creative ways. What obstacles are their to older people’s construction of meaningful lives? What is going on when they feel they are ageing well? In former times, the idea of a meaningful later life was associated with the idea of wisdom; some of its contemporary dimensions are explored here. Contributors include internationally renowned writers such Peter Coleman, Michele Dillon and Haim Hazan. Chapters explore norms and values associated with ageing from the US to the UK, Germany, Ireland, Finland, Israel and Singapore.

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Ricca Edmondson, ’Wisdom: A Humanist Approach to Valuing Older People’, pp. 201-216 in Ricca Edmondson and Hans-Joachim von Kondratowitz, eds, Valuing Older People: A Humanist Approach to Ageing (Bristol, Policy Press, 2009).

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Ricca Edmondson, Jane Pearce and Markus Woerner (2009), ’When Wisdom is Called for in Clinical Reasoning’, in William Stempsey, ed., Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 30: 231-247

Exploring informal components of clinical reasoning, we argue that they need to be understood via the analysis of professional wisdom. Wise decisions are needed where action or insight is vital, but neither everyday nor expert knowledge provides solutions. Wisdom combines experiential, intellectual, ethical, emotional and practical capacities; we contend that it is also more strongly social than is usually appreciated. But many accounts of reasoning specifically rule out such features as irrational. Seeking to illuminate how wisdom operates, we build on Aristotle’s work on informal reasoning. His account of rhetorical communication shows how non-formal components can play active parts in reasoning, retaining or even enhancing its reasonableness. We extend this account, applying it to forms of healthcare-related reasoning which are characterised by the need for wise decision-making. We then go on to explore some of what clinical wise reasoning may mean, concluding with a case taken from psychotherapeutic practice.

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Markus Woerner and Ricca Edmondson (2009), ’Towards a Taxonomy of Types of Wisdom’, Yearbook of the Irish Philosophical Society: 148-163.

Wisdom is no longer a central topic of Philosophy, ’the love of wisdom’. However, current empirical research in psychology highlights its vital importance for the human life-course. An attempt to unearth the history of wisdom in Western philosophical, theological and rhetorical traditions shows that it is an intrinsically dramatic concept, in need of a taxonomy of diverse accounts. Such a taxonomy would help to formulate criteria for a theoretical framework in terms of which a working definition of wisdom could be philosophically justified, a project fruitful for empirical research and useful for public policy.

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Flynn, Brendan (2009) 'Environmental Lessons for Rural Ireland from the European Union: how great expectations in Brussels get dashed in Bangor and Belmullet', in John McDonagh, Tony Varley and Sally Shortall (eds) A Living Countryside? The Politics of Sustainable Development in Rural Ireland (Ashgate), pp. 53-68.

This chapter examines the implementation of EU environmental policies in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with regard to rural areas. Two main case studies are used: the directive on Nitrates and the directives on Habitats and Birds. In both cases implementation is found to be patchy, and at times woeful. One reason for this has been farmers' political opposition to such laws. Moreover, there are limits to the extent any implementation of such measures can be administratively improved, although it is suggested that scope exists within a further reformed CAP, to provide funding instruments to complement such laws.

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Khoo, S and Rau, H (2009) ‘Movements, Mobilities and the Politics of Hazardous Waste’ Environmental Politics Vol. 18, No. 6, 960-80

This article examines global flows of hazardous waste which reflect political structures and struggles within, and between, developed and less developed countries. The ‘new mobilities paradigm’ is tested using cases of protest in Malaysia and East Germany, showing that greater attention should be paid to the politics of (im)mobilisations.

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John McDonagh, Tony Varley and Sally Shortall (eds) (2009) A Living Countryside: The Politics of Sustainable Development in Rural Ireland (Ashgate).

By examining a range of experiences from both the north and south of Ireland, this book asks what the ideal of sustainable development might mean to specific rural groups and how sustainable development goals have been pursued across the policy spectrum.

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B McGrath (2009) ’A growing concern: youth, sustainable lifestyle and livelihood in rural Ireland’, in John McDonagh, Tony Varley and Sally Shortall (eds), A Living Countryside? The Politics of Sustainable Development in Rural Ireland (Ashgate).

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McGrath, B. and F. Murray (2009) 'Brazilian migrants in Ireland: Emergent themes from research and practice on the significance of social networks and social capital,' Translocations: Migration & Social Change 5: 1-20.

The paper provides detail on six significant substantive themes concerning the recent migration and social networks of Brazilians living in Gort, Co Galway: (i) language competency; (ii) that weak ties can be exploitatively driven; (iii) dense networks can generate exclusion and vulnerability; (iv) money and culture; (v) trustworthy leaders and intermediary groups; and (vi) children’s key role in bridging and linking for adults.

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McGrath, B., Brennan, M., Dolan, P. and Barnett, R. (2009) Adolescent well-being and supporting contexts: a comparison of adolescents in rural Ireland and Florida’, Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 19: 299-320.

The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which social support and wider community perceptions/engagements among adolescents are connected with well-being. We compared adolescents in two different societal contexts, Florida in the United States and County Offaly, in Ireland, and posed the questions: what are the key predictors of subjective well-being from the various sources of support, and to what extent does the impact of social support on well-being vary across these two societies?

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B McGrath (2009) School disengagement and ’structural options’: Narrative illustrations on an analytical approach, YOUNG: Nordic Journal of Youth Research 17(1): 81–101.

The purpose of the present paper is to outline and illustrate an analytical approach that accentuates the biographically complex processes inhering within early school leaving transitions. The organising device of ’structural option’ (Stones, 2001) is introduced, which brings into focus the role and interplay of types of ’structures’ (in a structurationist sense) in the decision-making processes underlying school exit.

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Rau, H., and Hennessy, C. (2009) ’The Road to Sustainable Transport? Rural Transport Programmes and Policies in Ireland’, in John McDonagh, Tony Varley and Sally Shortall (eds), A Living Countryside? The Politics of Sustainable Development in Rural Ireland (Ashgate).

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Rau, H. (2009) ’Introduction: Contested Landscapes—Space, Place, and Identity in Contemporary Ireland’, Nature and Culture, 4(1): 17–34.

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Ricca Edmondson and Henrike Rau (eds) (2008) Environmental Argument and Cultural Difference: Locations, Fractures and Deliberations. Oxford: Peter Lang.

Environmental argument is ’about’ far more than meets the eye. How people (mis-)understand each other during environmental debates is affected by conflicts between values and ways of life which may not be directly connected with the environment at all. This book offers sociological evidence from three contrasting societies – Ireland, Germany and China – to explore how diversity of cultural context affects deliberation about the physical world. What can we discover by examining environmental debates through the lens of interculturality? When people disagree about flood management, building motorways or extracting gas, what difference does it make if they have diverse experiences of neighbourly relations, how to use time or how to imagine a good life? What is going on at intersections between cultures to influence the trajectories of environmental debates? The book disinters taken-for-granted practices, feelings and social relationships which affect environmental arrangements, in scientific and artistic debates as well as in politics and policy-making.

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Ricca Edmondson, ’Intercultural Rhetoric, Environmental Reasoning and Wise Argument’, pp.337-364 in Ricca Edmondson and Henrike Rau, eds, Environmental Argument and Cultural Difference: Locations, Fractures and Deliberations. Oxford, Peter Lang, 2008

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Ricca Edmondson (2008), ’Wisdom and Older People in Ireland’, Senior People Education Studies (Wuhan, China) 2(36): 73-76.

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Flynn, Brendan (2008) 'Reaching the limits of law? An Overview and Assessment of 50 years of EU environmental law and policy', The Irish Journal of European Law 15(1-2): 127-156.

This paper surveys and critically examines 50 years of the Treaty of Rome and its relevance for the environmental policy of the EU. It is argued that assumptions of the unimportance of the Treaty of Rome for the environment are mistaken. It was actually a very effective template for general legal powers that subsequently enabled an effective environmental policy to emerge. A second argument is to suggest that although the more recent Treaties have featured many changes on the environment, nonetheless the fundamental constitutional constraints on EU environmental policy remain, especially the demand for unanimity for many important environmental topics. This has not been altered by the Treaty of Lisbon text, whose significance is explored here as well.

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Flynn, Brendan (2008) 'Planning Cells and Citizen Deliberation in environmental policy: deliberation and its limits', in F.H.J.M Coenen (ed), Public Participation and Better Environmental Decisions: The promise and limits of participatory processes for the quality of environmentally related decision-making (Springer), pp.57-72.

This chapter considers whether citizens' juries are likely to encourage better environmental policy decisions. The chief argument presented here is that they achieve a type of deliberation over policy options which is valuable because it forces engagement between views, values and information of ordinary citizens with those of policy experts or other 'insiders'. However, more ambitious claims for citizens' juries must be balanced against their apparent institutional fragility.

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Flynn, Brendan, and Taylor, George (2008) 'The Irish Greens', in E.G. Frankland, P. Lucardie and B. Rihoux (eds), Green Parties in Transition: the End of Grass-roots Democracy? (Ashgate), pp.93-108.

This chapter examines how the Irish Green party has evolved, prior to entry into Coalition government in 2007. It is argued that while electoral competition has provided a powerful incentive for the Irish Greens to move away from amateur activism, one should be cautious as to whether they can be considered a fully fledged professional electoral party. The possibility of a return to a more activist-oriented politics, especially if the experience of coalition proves traumatic, cannot therefore be discounted.

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Khoo, S and Lehane, O (2008) ’Globalisation and the re-imagination of research, teaching and learning in Irish Higher education’ Policy and Practice – a Development Education Review Issue, pp 18-34.

This article maps out recent trends in higher education, comparing and contrasting four emerging priorities: research and educational collaboration; development cooperation, educational marketization and charity/ philanthropy. It examines the relevance of development education to these transformations, and suggests that development education can critically engage through the lens of human rights.

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Rau, H. (2008) 'Environmental Arguing at a Crossroads? Cultural Diversity in Irish Transport Planning', in R. Edmondson and H. Rau (eds) Environmental Argument and Cultural Difference: Locations, Fractures and Deliberations (Oxford: Peter Lang), pp. 95-124.

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Ricca Edmondson (2007), ’Življenjski potek in modrost kot vodilna idea’ (’The Life Course and Wisdom as a Guiding Idea’ in Kakovostna Starost (Towards Good Quality of Life in Older Age), 10(2): 28-42.

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Ricca Edmondson and Jane Pearce, ’The Practice of Health Care: Wisdom as a Model’, in Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 10(3) (2007: pp. 233-244).

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Ricca Edmondson, ’Rhetorics of Social Science: Sociality in Writing and Inquiry’, pp.479-498 in William Outhwaite and Stephen Turner, eds, The Handbook of Social Science Methodology (London, Sage 2007)

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Flynn, Brendan (2007) The Blame Game: Rethinking Ireland's Sustainable Development and Environmental Performance (Dublin: Irish Academic Press).

A must-read for anyone interested in environmental issues in Ireland. Ireland's record in the field of environmental protection is one of the worst in Europe, and this book explores the reasons why. It examines the evolution of Irish environmental policy over the so-called 'Celtic Tiger' years of Ireland's economic boom while looking to the future as well. It considers why Ireland's environmental performance has been so lacklustre during this period, and what scope exists for improvement. The emphasis is placed primarily on institutional aspects of Irish environmental policy. In particular, this book offers a strong critique of the current Irish style of reaching environmental decisions, an excessive dependence on legal instruments, and a weak Irish local government system.

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Khoo, S (2007) ’A Tale of Two Tigers: Growth, Public Policy and Regional Models in Ireland and Malaysia’ Policy Innovations, Policy Library Carnegie Council. Click here to view online.

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Khoo, S. (2007) ’Globalization, terror and the future of "development" – citizenship beyond bare life?' In Maurice Mullard and Bankole Cole (eds.) Globalization, Citizenship and the War on Terror (Edward Elgar Publishers), pp 5-19.

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Khoo, S, Carol Healy and Kelly Coate (2007) ’Development Education and Development Research – contradictory or complementary?’ Policy and Practice – a Development Education Review 5: 189-211.

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McGrath, B. and NicGabhainn (2007) ’Worldviews Apart? Perceptions of Place among Rural, Farm and Urban Young People in Ireland’, Youth Studies Ireland 2(1): 17-31.

In this paper, we report findings from a national survey of 8,316 Irish young people in 2002, which reveals the ways in which socio-spatial context impacts on young people’s perceptions of the places in which they live and their views about the nature of certain ’social capital’ aspects of their local communities.

School of Political Science and Sociology
Aras Moyola
National University of Ireland, Galway  
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This page was last updated Friday, March 05, 2010