Newsletter May 2009

Environmental Studies Section of the International Studies Association, Newsletter, May 2009

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Editors: Richard Matthew and Bryan McDonald, University of California, Irvine

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The ESS Newsletter can also be found at: http://environmental-studies.org. The next edition will be September 2009. We tend to follow a Winter, Spring and Fall schedule.

The ESS newsletter is based at the Center for Unconventional Security Affairs at the University of California, Irvine (www.cusa.uci.edu) and co-edited by Richard Matthew and Bryan McDonald. Please send publication information, announcements, calls for papers, job announcements, job and address changes, email information, queries, etc. for inclusion in the next newsletter to cusa @ uci.edu.

Please paste email addresses and websites listed in this newsletter into your email client or browser as they have not been formatted as hyperlinks.

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CONTENTS

1. ESS SECTION NEWS
2. NEW PUBLICATIONS
• 2.1. BOOKS
• 2.2. ARTICLES, CHAPTERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS
3. ON THE WEB
4. CAREER RESOURCES
5. UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS

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1. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SECTION NEWS
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NOTES FROM THE SECTION CHAIR

Dear Environmental Studies Section community,

I want to take the opportunity of this ESS newsletter to thank all of you for your vote of confidence in having me serve as Chair for the next couple of years. I look forward to working with everyone in keeping the ESS at the center of research, academic exchange, and professional development for the political science and broader social science community of environmental scholars. Special thanks are also due to Beth DeSombre for serving as Chair the past three years and Pamela Chasek for serving as Vice-Chair.

We currently have approximately 300 members. It would be terrific if we could expand our membership number. Please remember to renew your own membership and recruit a colleague or student or two to join! Particularly welcome would be a growth in members from groups that are not yet well represented—including minority communities in the United States and international members from areas where membership numbers are still low (Asia, Latin America, Africa). With environmental topics, and especially climate change, big in the news this year—thanks in part to the Obama administration’s welcome change of stance on climate change matters—this is a good time for the ESS community to work on expanding its ranks and visibility.

Pamela Chasek, who is continuing on as ESS Vice Chair, will be working on the planning of the panels for the Environmental Studies Section at the 2010 International Studies Association meeting to be held in New Orleans (February 17-20, http://www.isanet.org/neworleans2010/ ). Panel submissions are generally preferred although single standing papers are also taken. Doing a poster session is another great opportunity. Be sure not to miss the deadlines:

• May 15 Deadline for Cooperative Organization Panel submissions
• May 15 Deadline for Innovative Panel submissions
• June 1 Deadline for Paper and Panel submissions
• June 8 Travel Grant Applications Begin
• September 9 Travel Grant Applications End

I think that I can speak on behalf of Pam, plus the members of the Executive Committee (Samuel Barkin, Ben Cashore, Heike Schroeder, Sherrie Baver, Radoslav Dimitrov, and Rodger Payne) when I say we would be most welcome to discuss ideas with the ESS community about what we could do to further the visibility of ESS within ISA as well as more widely in the academic and political worlds. Last year in New York, we had a terrific meeting with a particularly large number of panels and strong turn out.

Suggestions for special activities, given the New Orleans location, would be welcome. We might consider a special activity for the New Orleans schools or universities—perhaps we could set up a group that would be willing to go into some public schools and do a child-friendly day on environmental education or a talk for the community. There was also discussion at the New York ISA of ways that we could green the New Orleans ISA. Innovative suggestions for the ESS would be welcome.

Feel free to send ideas to me (Miranda.schreurs @ fu-berlin.de) or other members of the committee.

It would also be useful to think about new activities for the ESS. One suggestion that has been proposed is the development of a “Life Team Achievement Award.” Another is having people record a “best lecture” that could be made available for communities that have limited access to environmental educators.

Also be sure to remember to submit book nominations to the Harold and Margaret Sprout Award Committee (Michael Maniates, Susan Park, Steinar Andresen, Matthias Finer, Matthew Hoffmann).

Thanks in advance to the nominations committee who will be looking for new officers. Consider nominating a friend or yourself! The nominations committee consists of Frank Biermann, Erika Weinthal, Hans Bryninckx, and David Downie.

And special thanks for Richard Matthew and Bryan McDonald for serving as newsletter editors and Marcus Schaper as webmaster.

Best wishes, Miranda Schreurs

ESS Business Meeting Minutes: Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Meeting brought to order by Beth DeSombre

Elections:

• Nominees for ESS offices were introduced (distressingly few were present)
• Nominations from the floor were invited. None were made.
• Ballots were distributed. Much hubbub ensued, eventually brought to order by Beth.

ESS Reports and updates from the ISA Governing Council meeting:

• There are currently 310 section members. They contribute $5 each to the ESS budget.
• ESS costs – the annual reception, and the two prizes.
• The section needs to recharter by 2011.

From Governing Council:

• There was some discussion of the proliferation of ISA journals. A moratorium with significant holes in it was declared.
• There is an ISA representative to the UN. Section members should feel free to make use of her to get into UN meetings.
• ISA will enforce participation limits for next year’s meeting, at a maximum of 2 papers and 4 total appearances per person.
• There was a brief discussion of the pilot Working Group program, and the participants were introduced.

Other general business:

• The two ESS awards were awarded
  • Sprout:
    • winner: Steven Vanderheiden, Atmospheric Justice: A Political Theory of Climate Change (Oxford University Press)
    • runners up: Charlotte Epstein, The Power of Words in International Relations: Birth of an Anti-Whaling Discourse (MT Press); and Matthew Paterson, Automobile Politics: Ecology and Cultural Political Economy (Cambridge University Press).
  • Graduate Student Paper Prize
    • winner: Corina McKendry, “Competing for Green: Neoliberalism, Environmental Justice, and the Limits of Ecological Modernization”
    • runner-up: Elizabeth Havice and Liam Campling, “Shifting Tides: Balancing Access to Foreign and Domsetic Interest in the Western Central Pacific Ocaean’s Tuna Industry.”
• The Compendium project is still looking for reviewers. Please contact MJ Peterson if you are willing and able. (mjp@polsci.umass.edu)

The “Greening the Conference” committee (a joint ESS/FTGS undertaking) presented 5 proposals:

• The proposal that there be an option to not receive a paper program for the conference passed with modifications TBD.
• The proposal for ISA to sell plastic bottles was voted down by the anti-plastics crowd, but a proposal to use glass instead of paper/plastic cups garnered unanimous support.
• The proposal to require better and more visible onsite recycling passed unanimously.
• The proposal to make the purchase of offsets a default option generated a mixed response, but there was a general mood in favor of it.
• The proposal to generate better information passed unanimously.

Election results:

• Chair: Miranda Schreurs
• Executive Committee: Sherrie Baver, Radoslav Dimitrov, and Rodger Payne.
• Nominations Committee: Hans Bruyninckx and David Downie.
• Sprout Award Committee: Steinar Andresen, Matthias Finger, and Matthew Hoffman.
• GEP Board representative: Gabriela Kütting.

Proposed amendments to the ESS constitution:

• The proposal that the constitution be amended to specify that Sprout Award committee members not be allowed to serve consecutive terms passed, with 2 votes against.
• The proposal that elections for section chair and vice-chair be held a year in advance to allow those elected to attend meetings at the conference that precede the section meeting failed to generate much interest one way or the other.

Preview of next year’s conference:

• This year there were 143 paper submissions and some large but unclear to the note-taker full panel submissions.
• We were allotted 35 panels, and had 45 total, including co-sponsored panels but not including ‘innovative’ or theme panels.
• For next year, proposers should include key words in their proposals. And should always include two sections (or one plus theme) in proposals.
• There was a general round of applause for Pam Chasek for her work in putting together the ESS program for the conference.
• And there was a general round of applause for Beth for her services as ESS Chair.

Panel suggestions for next year:

• Simon Nicholson is looking for general themes in ESS for a workshop – send him ideas.
• Dale Rothman: Poverty and the environment. Suggested an on-the-ground workshop in New Orleans.
• Miranda Schreurs: Environmental catastrophes.
• Stephan Bauer: Policy versus theory.
• Jennifer Clapp: Environmental fallout from the economic crisis.
• Lana: Environmental convergence.
• Urs Thomas: The role of the state in the economy in generating green-ness.
• Beth Tuleky – The Obama administration and the environment.
• Catherine Grover: Professional education in environmental studies.
• Stacy Vandeveer: Connecting conference to place.
• Mat Paterson: The theory is out there (of course, his theory is often more out there than most…)
• Mike Maneates: The intersection of academia and activists.

UPCOMING ISA CONFERENCES (http://www.isanet.org/conventions/)
International Studies Association, 2010 Annual Convention, February 17-20, 2010, New Orleans.

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2. NEW PUBLICATIONS
2.1. BOOKS
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Hans Günter Brauch, Úrsula Oswald Spring, John Grin, Czeslaw Mesjasz, Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Navnita Chadha Behera, Béchir Chourou, Heinz Krummenacher (Eds.): Facing Global Environmental Change: Environmental, Human, Energy, Food, Health and Water Security Concepts . Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, vol. 4 (Berlin – Heidelberg – New York: Springer-Verlag, 2009).

About FACING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE: This policy-focused, global and multidisciplinary security handbook on Facing Global Environmental Change addresses new security threats of the 21st century posed by climate change, desertification, water stress, population growth and urbanization. These security dangers and concerns lead to migration, crises and conflicts. They are on the agenda of the UN, OECD, OSCE, NATO and EU. In 100 chapters, 129 authors from 49 countries analyze the global debate on environmental, human and gender, energy, food, livelihood, health and water security concepts and policy problems. In 10 parts they discuss the context and the securitization of global environmental change and of extreme natural and societal outcomes. They suggest a new research programme to move from knowledge to action, from reactive to proactive policies and to explore the opportunities of environmental cooperation for a new peace policy.

Peter Blaze Corcoran and Philip M. Osano. Young people, education, and sustainable development
Exploring principles, perspectives, and praxis. Wageningen Academic Publishers, 2009.

Simon Dalby. Security and Environmental Change (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2009). NOTE: This book is due out in August 2009. Instructors interested in assigning it for Fall 2009 may request examination copies early through the Polity web site athttp://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=9780745642918

Antonio Franceschet (ed.) The Ethics of Global Governance (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2009).

Chris Gore and Peter Stoett, eds. Environmental Challenges and Opportunities: Local-Global Perspectives on Canadian Issues (Toronto: Emond Montgomery, 2009).

Paul G. Harris, ed. The Politics of Climate Change: Environmental Dynamics in International Affairs. London: Routledge, forthcoming May 2009.

Paul G. Harris, ed. Environmental Change and Foreign Policy: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge, forthcoming March 2009.

Paul G. Harris, ed. Climate Change and Foreign Policy: Case Studies from East to West. London: Routledge, forthcoming March 2009.

Gabriela Kuetting & Ronnie Lipschutz (eds), Environmental governance; power and knowledge in a local-global world (Routledge, 2009).

Lada V. Kochtcheeva. Comparative Environmental Regulation in the United States and Russia: Institutions, Flexible Instruments, and Governance (SUNY Press, 2009).

Kate O’Neill. The Environment and International Relations. (Cambridge University Press, 2009).

Miranda Schreurs, Henrik Selin and Stacy D. VanDeveer, eds. Transatlantic Environment and Energy Politics: Comparative and International Perspectives. (Ashgate, 2009).

Henrik Selin and Stacy D. VanDeveer, eds. Changing Climates in North American Politics: Institutions, Policymaking and Multilevel Governance (MIT Press, forthcoming 2009).

Swatuk, L.A. and Wirkus, L. (Eds). Transboundary water governance in southern Africa: Examining underexplored dimensions (Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2009).

Chris Tollefson, Fred Gale, and David Haley. Setting the Standard: Certification, Governance, and the Forest Stewardship Council (UBC Press, 2008).

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2.2. ARTICLES, CHAPTERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS
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Michele M. Betsill and Barry G. Rabe. 2009. Climate Change and Multilevel Governance: The Evolving State and Local Roles. In TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES: TRANSITION AND TRANSFORMATIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, 2ND EDITION, edited by D. A. Mazmanian and M. E. Kraft. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 201-226.

Simon Dalby. “What Happens if We Don’t Think in Human Terms?: Environmental Politics and Climate Change” in Jenny Edkins and Maja Zehfuss (eds) Global Politics: A New Introduction (London: Routledge, 2009), 45-69.

Simon Dalby. “Environmental Insecurities: Geopolitics, Resources and Conflict” in Amita Baviscar (ed.) Contested Grounds: Essays on Nature, Culture and Power (Delhi: Oxford University Press 2008).

Simon Dalby. “Environmental Change” in Paul D. Williams (ed.) Security Studies: An Introduction (Oxford: Routledge, 2008), 260-273.

Josh Gellers. 2009. Review of Oran R. Young, Leslie A. King, and Heike Schroeder (Eds.), Institutions and Environmental Change: Principal Findings, Applications, and Research Frontiers, Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008.
International Environmental Agreements Published online 25 Feb. 2009. Available at:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/6km58847742x0138/fulltext.html.

Paul G. Harris. “Beyond Bush: Environmental Politics and Prospects for U.S.Climate Policy.” Energy Policy, vol. 37 (2009): 966-971.

Paul G. Harris. “Introduction.” In The Politics of Climate Change: Environmental Dynamics in International Affairs, edited by Paul G. Harris London: Routledge, forthcoming 2009.

Paul G. Harris. “Conclusion.” In The Politics of Climate Change: Environmental Dynamics in International Affairs, edited by Paul G. Harris London: Routledge, forthcoming 2009.

Paul G. Harris. “Environmental Foreign Policy in Theory and Practice.” In Environmental Change and Foreign Policy: Theory and Practice, edited by Paul G. Harris. Routledge, forthcoming 2009.

John Barkdull and Paul G. Harris. “Theories of Environmental Foreign Policy.” In Environmental Change and Foreign Policy: Theory and Practice, edited by Paul G. Harris. Routledge, forthcoming 2009.

Paul G. Harris. “Climate Change in Environmental Foreign Policy: Science, Diplomacy, and Politics.” In Climate Change and Foreign Policy: Case Studies from East to West, edited by Paul G. Harris. Routledge, forthcoming 2009.

Paul G. Harris and Hongyuan Yu. “Climate Change in Chinese Foreign Policy: Internal and External Responses.” In Climate Change and Foreign Policy: Case Studies from East to West, edited by Paul G. Harris. Routledge, forthcoming 2009.

Matthew Paterson and Simon Dalby. “Over a Barrel: Cultural Political Economy and “Oil Imperialism” ” in Francois Debris and Mark Lacy (eds) The Geopolitics of American Insecurity: Terror, Power and Foreign Policy (New York: Routledge, 2009), 181-96.

ECSP Report 13 Covers New Security Challenges: Environment, Population, Health
As the Obama administration takes over, the 13th issue of the Environmental Change and Security Program Report details the non-traditional security threats—and opportunities—it faces. In a special feature entitled “New Directions in Demographic Security,” seven demographic experts analyze the links connecting population and environmental dynamics to conflict. The Report also features articles on the population-climate change nexus and the UN Environment Programme’s peacebuilding work in conflict zones. Access the complete Report at www.wilsoncenter.org/ecspreport13.

Natural Resource Management Critical to Peacebuilding
Intrastate conflicts are likely to drag on and escalate without a greater focus on environment and natural resources in the peacebuilding process, according to a new report launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In addition, conflicts with a link to natural resources are twice as likely to relapse within the first five years, as shown by data collected by Uppsala University and the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo. Even so, fewer that 25 per cent of peace agreements for resource-linked conflicts have addressed those linkages, leaving many post-conflict countries vulnerable to conflict relapse. A stronger role for environment in post-conflict planning, along with greater capacity for early warning, are required to address environmental risks and capitalize on opportunities, the report says. This includes a more robust and comprehensive inclusion of environmental issues in UN peacebuilding activities, and a more careful harnessing of natural resources for economic recovery, essential services and sustainable livelihoods. A full version of “From Conflict to Peacebuilding – The Role of Natural Resources and the Environment” is available onlineat:http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=562&ArticleID=6091&l=en

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3. ON THE WEB
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THE NEW SECURITY BEAT
The New Security Beat Blog Identifies Today’s New Security Threats. Security is much more than fighting terrorism or weapons of mass destruction. The New Security Beat, ECSP’s blog, provides frequent commentary on the latest news, reports, and resources on the crucial connections among population, environment, and security. Contributors include ECSP staff members, as well as guest commentators such as Major Shannon Beebe (USA) and Department of Defense Policy Planning Consultant Jennifer Dabbs Sciubba. The New Security Beat also features an original podcast series with Wilson Center speakers, such as UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot; retired colonel Dr. Kent Hughes Butts on environmental security; and lead author of UNFPA’s State of World Population 2007 report George Martine on urbanization. http://www.newsecuritybeat.blogspot.com/

ECSP YOUTUBE CHANNEL OFFERS SHORT EXPERT COMMENTARIES
ECSP’s YouTube channel features lively, brief interviews with experts on environment, security, demography, development, and health. Current playlists cover climate security, global water issues, population-health-environment connections, and more. These short expert commentaries are ideally suited for the classroom, along with the longer events ECSP frequently webcasts. ECSP’s YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ECSPWWC; ECSP events: www.wilsoncenter.org/ecspevents.

EIA INTERVIEW: SIMON DALBY ON ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY
“Peace-building is literally about building now,” says Dalby. “It’s about constructing buildings that don’t need large quantities of energy, both because of climate change and so that they are not dependent on supplies from the other side of the planet.” Video clip available at: http://www.cceia.org/resources/video/data/000120

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4. CAREER RESOURCES
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You can find an array of career resources on the Environmental Studies section website at: http://environmental-studies.org/?page_id=82

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5. UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
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ISA 2010 CALL FOR PAPERS – “THEORY VS. POLICY? CONNECTING SCHOLARS AND PRACTITIONERS”

Thomas G. Weiss, President
Elizabeth R. DeSombre, Program Chair

Theory vs. Policy? Connecting Scholars and Practitioners

In world politics, the supposed division between two groups – those who observe and analyze a subject and those who practice it – is something of a shibboleth. To most scholars, the development of theory, regardless of its relevance outside academia, is highly valued. Simplification and generalization are of the essence. Social scientists ask the “so what” question, but they do so often in the context of theory-building; some scholars might even go so far to deny that theories and methodologies need be applied outside of the academy. The inappropriate use or misuse of scientific knowledge for the pursuit of political agendas is cited as one reason to assume the role of the detached critic who remains on the sidelines and away from the policy fray.

At the same time, for most policy makers and activists, the word “theory” is associated with abstraction and irrelevance for day-to-day activities. Every situation seems sui generis, and thus generalizations can cause more problems than they solve. Even if theories offer explanations for practitioners, the “unreal” assumptions and simplicity of many theories are not useful when events are unpredictable and do not follow the neat patterns that are thought to be necessary to qualify as “parsimonious.” Often practitioners worry about the sources that form the basis for some theoretical propositions; if these sources are unreliable, flawed conclusions follow. The seemingly ever unresolved character of academic debates and knowledge – about, among other things, the democratic peace, climate change, the use of force, social capital, terrorism, gender equity, economic development – makes theoretical findings difficult to apply in practice.

Despite these stereotypes, visible scholars of international studies (from Henry Kissinger to Condoleezza Rice) have changed academic robes for prominent policy-making or decision-making positions. Moreover, scholars sometimes take on occasional consultancies, and most certainly, they have strong views about the conduct of their own local and national governments. Those who leave practitioner jobs may retire to positions in universities and think-tanks, increasing the connection between the two worlds.

The 2010 ISA Annual Convention aims to assess the current state of the divide between scholars and practitioners. Do the prevailing stereotypes make sense, or are they simply wrong? Given different professional incentives and priorities, how much is involvement in practice possible or even desirable for academics? To the extent that ISA members have participated in both worlds, has exposure to practice improved research? Has the influence of scholars in the policy world increased or decreased in the last decade? Do decision-makers routinely make use of academic research? Are there innovative teaching methods and strategies to emphasize case study components in international studies without sacrificing theoretical rigor?

We will explore the theory-vs.-practice division across the various issues taken up by sections within ISA. To what extent do academic ideas lead to policy changes in UN global developmental and environmental institutions? To what extent do human rights, human development, and human security norms matter? Does social science have a role in humanitarian action and intervention? What role do academics have in combating global terrorism? In peacekeeping, peace-building, and peace-enforcement? In foreign-policy decision making? In regulating international trade, investment, and finance? How useful are extant theories of revolution and contentious politics in understanding contemporary local and transnational resistances to the neoliberal order? What are the practical and normative implications of research that suggests democracies do not go to war with one another? Are existing theories of democracy relevant to constitutional design and state-building in democratizing and post-conflict societies? Are there theoretical and practical lessons that regional groupings in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East can learn from the regional integration experience of Europe? What are the implications for the study and practice of international politics from the rises in economic power and international influence of China and India? Can alternative theories of international affairs be developed out of non-Western trends and practices?

In connecting scholars and practitioners, we should also think about connections between the theory and empirics across different subfields. Do international security experts, geographers, and environmental activists have useful things to say to one another about climate change and conflict? How can scholars, military leaders, defense strategists, and aid workers, and journalists in conflict zones learn from one another about the changing nature of warfare? Are the notions of global governance and even world government palatable to sovereignty-minded national politicians? What can we learn from an intellectual history of prominent scholar-practitioners or practitioner-scholars?

We invite panels and papers that not only bring different theoretical perspectives to these questions but also that bridge different substantive and policy experiences. We encourage joint authorship of papers from individuals of different communities – academic and policy. We invite participants from institutions of both North and South – universities, colleges, research institutes, governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the media.

The theory and practice of international studies today encompass more kinds of people from a wider variety of backgrounds than in the past, and a richer range of activities bring scholars and practitioners together in structured and informal ways. We are thus interested in exploring achievements in bridging theory and policy, and in concrete and substantive examples where the connection of theory and policy has been especially fruitful as well as where it has not. Information regarding how to proceed with your submission is available at http://isanet.ccit.arizona.edu/MyISA/NewOrleans2010.aspx DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: JUNE 1, 2009

CLIMATE CHANGE AND SECURITY
The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters is sponsoring an international conference in Trondheim, Norway 21-24 June 2010 as part of the celebration of its 250th anniversary. ISA Past President Nils Petter Gleditsch is on the organizing committee, along with two other professors at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Ola Listhaug and Ragnar Torvik. A preliminary program can be found at www.dknvs.no/climsec. An open call for papers will be issued on that webpage in early May 2009.

EARTH SYSTEM GOVERNANCE: PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THE PLANET
2009 Amsterdam Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, Amsterdam, 2-4 December 2009. We invite you to the 2009 Amsterdam Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, to be held 2-4 December 2009. This conference will be the ninth event in the series of annual European Conferences on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, begun in Berlin in 2001. This year’s conference will also be the global launch event of the Earth System Governance Project, a new ten-year research programme under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP).
The challenge of earth system governance raises numerous theoretical, methodological and empirical questions, many of which are elaborated upon in detail in the new Science and Implementation Plan of the IHDP Earth System Governance Project (earthsystemgovernance.org).

The 2009 Amsterdam Conference is organised around the five core analytical problems identified in this science plan:

1. Architectures of Earth System Governance. We invite papers on the emergence, design and effectiveness of governance systems and the overall integration of global, regional, national and local governance. Core questions include: How is performance of environmental institutions affected by their embedding in larger architectures? What are the environmental consequences of non-environmental governance systems? What is the relative performance of different types of multilevel governance architectures? How can we explain instances of ‘non-governance’? What are overarching and crosscutting norms of earth system governance?

2. Agency in Earth System Governance. We invite papers that advance understanding of the actors and agents that drive earth system governance and the ways in which authority is granted to them and how it is exercised. We welcome papers on the influence, roles and responsibilities of both state actors and non-state actors, such as business and non-profit organisations. Core questions are: What is agency in earth system governance, and who are the agents? How do different agents exercise agency in earth system governance, and how can we evaluate their relevance?

3. Adaptiveness of Earth System Governance. We invite papers on the adaptiveness of earth system governance, a theme that includes here related concepts such as adaptation, adaptive management, resilience, or vulnerability. What are the politics of adaptiveness? Which governance processes foster it? What attributes of governance systems enhance capacities to adapt? How, when and why does adaptiveness influence earth system governance?

4. Accountability and Legitimacy in Earth System Governance. We invite papers on the accountability and legitimacy of earth system governance. What are the sources of accountability and legitimacy in earth system governance? What are the effects of different forms and degrees of accountability and legitimacy for the performance of governance systems? How can mechanisms of transparency ensure accountable and legitimate earth system governance? What institutional designs can produce the accountability and legitimacy of earth system governance in a way that guarantees balances of interests and perspectives?

5. Allocation and Access in Earth System Governance. Earth system governance is, as is any political activity, about the distribution of material and immaterial resources and values. It is, in essence, a conflict about the access to goods and about their allocation – it is about justice, fairness, and equity. But how can we reach interdisciplinary conceptualisations and definitions of allocation and access? What (overarching) principles underlie allocation and access? How can allocation be reconciled with governance effectiveness?

6. Theoretical and Methodological Foundations of Earth System Governance. Finally, we invite papers that cut across these five analytical themes by focussing on the theoretical and methodological foundations of earth system governance. Central crosscutting themes identified in the science plan of the Earth System Governance Project are the roles of power, knowledge, norms, and scale. We also invite papers that analyse the theoretical foundations and implications of new ways of thinking about governance and earth system transformation, including concepts such as global environmental politics, sustainable development, earth system management, or earth system governance, and the extent to which they are related and to which they differ. Moreover, we invite papers that seek to identify and further develop the appropriate methods to study earth system governance, including papers that study options for integrating social science-based work with study programmes grounded in the natural sciences, including computer-based modelling and scenario work.

Abstracts must be submitted electronically by 15 May 2009 and not exceed 450 words. All abstracts will be evaluated in double-blind peer-review by at least four experts from the conference review panel. Details on abstract submission and more information are available at our conference website www.ac2009.earthsystemgovernance.org.