Agents of change: Political culture, environmentalism and the European Community
Description
This dissertation adds to our understanding of change in international politics by exploring political implications of the ecocentric worldview widely espoused by transnational environmental interest groups (TEIGs). Ecocentric policies demand that protection of the ecosystem be the central concern in policy-making, politically, socially and economically, both domestically and internationally The principles, norms and values preferred by TEIGs are holistic; they require radical change in social, economic and political institutions. This provokes resistance by currently dominant institutions, including states, which tend to resist ecocentric policies even while recognizing a need for environmental protection. Ecocentrism challenges the fundamental doctrine of the international system, state sovereignty, thus attacking the approach to the study of international politics known as 'realism.' Societies react to change through cultural adaptation. Political cultures are sets of shared attitudes toward political objects, diffused through a common interpretation of common symbols among an identifiable group, and manifest in the political institutions created by the group. Ascription of political legitimacy (that which is perceived by a society as rational, effective, and right) is largely dependent on political culture Dealing effectively with transnational problems requires transnational cooperation. This study argues that effective transnational cooperation requires transcultural acceptance of common principles, norms and values; from a realist perspective an unlikely prospect. Postmaterialism, of which environmentalism is an intrinsic element, is thought by some scholars to represent a fundamental change in the way citizens of advanced industrial democracies view the world. Postmaterialism emphasizes quality of life issues such as belongingness, self-expression, and equality, in contrast with earlier 'materialist' emphases upon economic and military security. The postmaterialist emphasis upon pluralistic participatory democracy, however, is inconsistent with the universalistic, holistic ethos of ecocentricity National political cultures are a finite set of subcultural types, each with its peculiar cosmology. Subcultures of the same type are easy to link transnationally, but the type of subculture TEIGs represent is congenitally unlikely to provide a foundation for mass political parties in pluralistic societies. A new international political culture would have to be built on a worldview common among existing cultures to ensure international cooperation