Van Hecken, Gert and Kolinjivadic, Vijay and Windey, Catherine and McElwee, Pamela and Shapiro-Garza, Elizabeth and Huybrechs, Frédéric and Bastiaensen, Johan (2017) Silencing Agency in Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) by Essentializing a Neoliberal ‘Monster’ Into Being: A Response to Fletcher & Büscher's ‘PES Conceit’. Discussion Paper. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo NITLAPAN – UCA, Managua, Nicaragua. (In Press)
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Abstract
In this commentary we respond to Fletcher and Büscher's (2017) recent article in this journal on Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) as neoliberal ‘conceit’. The authors claim that focusing attention on the micro-politics of PES design and implementation fails to expose an underlying neoliberal governmentality, and therefore only reinforces neoliberal capitalism as both the problem and solution of ecological crises. In response, we argue that a focus on the actions of local actors is key to understanding how and why such governmentality fails or succeeds in performing as theorized. Grand generalizations fixated on a particular hegemonic and neoliberal PES ontology overlook how actors intertwine theory and practice in ways which cannot be explained by a dominant structural theory. Such generalizations risk obscuring the complexity and situational history, practice and scale of the processes involved. Rather than relegating variegated and hybrid forms of what actually emerges from PES interventions as neoliberal conceit, we argue that an actor-oriented, ‘weak theory’ approach permits PES praxis to inform knowledge generation. This would open up a more inclusive and politically engaging space for thinking about and realizing political change.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Discussion Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), Neoliberalism, Conservation, Performativity, Actor-oriented approach, Weak theory, Governmentality |
| Subjects: | 300 Ciencias Sociales > 330 Economía > 333 Economía de la tierra y de la energía 500 Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas > 570 Ciencias de la vida, Biología > 577 Ecología |
| Divisions: | Institutos > Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Nitlapan |
| Depositing User: | Rogerio Medina |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Nov 2017 17:21 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Nov 2017 17:21 |
| URI: | http://repositorio.uca.edu.ni/id/eprint/4488 |
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