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Evolutionary Perspectives on Environmental Governance: Strategy and the Co-Construction of Governance, Community, and Environment

Author

Listed:
  • Raoul Beunen

    (Faculty of Science, Open Universiteit, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands)

  • Kristof Van Assche

    (Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada)

  • Monica Gruezmacher

    (School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus Memorial University, Corner Brook, NL A2H 5G4, Canada)

Abstract

The attention to sustainability transformations and related processes of learning, innovation, and adaptation has inspired a growing interest in theories that help to grasp the processes of change in governance. This perspective paper and the Special Issue of which it is part explore how evolutionary perspectives on environmental governance can enrich our understanding of the possibilities and limits of environmental policy and planning. The aim of this paper is to highlight some key notions for an evolutionary understanding of governance theory and to show how such an evolutionary perspective can help to develop a more integrated perspective on environmental governance in which the temporal dimension and the effects of steering attempts play a pivotal role. It is argued that the effects of environmental governance on the material environment, community, and governance itself must be considered in their interrelation. Such insight in couplings and co-evolutions can be of great value in the everyday practice of environmental policy and governance and even more so when attempting to transform the governance system towards more ambitious and coordinated goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Raoul Beunen & Kristof Van Assche & Monica Gruezmacher, 2022. "Evolutionary Perspectives on Environmental Governance: Strategy and the Co-Construction of Governance, Community, and Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-18, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:9912-:d:885372
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