This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Frickel, S. Articles by Davidson, D. J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Building Environmental States

Legitimacy and Rationalization in Sustainability Governance

Tulane University

Debra J. Davidson

University of Alberta

This article explores the potential for nation-states to become substantial contributors to sustainability governance. This potential resides in the ability of nation-states to make environmental protection a basic goal, in part by committing institutional resources toward the formation and implementation of substantive actions perceived necessary for long-term environmental sustainability. Existing research suggests that nation-states undertake environmental action in order to maintain legitimacy in the face of political pressure. While the maintenance of legitimacy is necessary, we argue that a substantive state role in sustainability governance is also dependent upon the rationalization of state environmental roles. Further, rationalization can be fostered through the enrichment of embedded state-societal networks with two key actors in civil society: environmental justice movements and environmental knowledge professionals. This article develops a conceptual framework that grounds sustainability efforts in rationalization processes and examines the synergistic potential for these two social actors to help build states that institute fundamental environmental reform.

Key Words: environmental justice • environmental politics • environmental science • environmental state • state theory • sustainability governance • synergy

International Sociology, Vol. 19, No. 1, 89-110 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0268580904040922


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Gilley The Determinants of State Legitimacy: Results for 72 Countries International Political Science Review/ Revue internationale de science pol, January 1, 2006; 27(1): 47 - 71. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. J. Davidson and S. Frickel Understanding Environmental Governance: A Critical Review Organization Environment, December 1, 2004; 17(4): 471 - 492. [Abstract] [PDF]