Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Policy Paradoxes: Challenges Confronting the Contemporary Arctic

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Leadership for the North

Part of the book series: Springer Polar Sciences ((SPPS))

Abstract

There is both continuity and change in the challenges facing governance of the contemporary Arctic. Since the inception of the Arctic Council, the Chairs have played a significant role in highlighting or reducing the importance of different variables related to the region’s interlinked social and environmental changes. We argue that many of the current challenges confronting Arctic residents and stakeholders are in fact paradoxes – examples of irresolvable tensions at the top of the world that can be researched and managed, but are unlikely, without a significant unanticipated event, to be resolved. This chapter approaches the challenges faced in the twenty-first century Arctic from a perspective that recognizes the complexity of the agenda-setting that an Arctic Council Chair encounters. In the past 20 years interest in the poles has grown and the conduct of research has evolved, yet there remain disconnects between local, national, and Pan-Arctic actors’ policies and the security and vitality of the region. As more information about Arctic systems - social, ecological, and geophysical – becomes available at ever-faster speeds, the meaning of this information to diverse and competing actors is also evolving. The Arctic Council Chairmanship process has a role in promoting a better fit over time between Arctic Council governance and government policies in the North.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • AMAP. (2017). Adaptation actions for a changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort region. Oslo: Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP).

    Google Scholar 

  • Arctic Council. (2013). Arctic resilience interim report 2013. Stockholm: Stockholm Environment Institute and Stockholm Resilience Centre http://www.Arctic-council.org/arr.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arctic Council. (2016). Arctic resilience assessment, M. Carson and G. Peterson (eds). Stockholm: Stockholm Environment Institute and Stockholm Resilience Centre http://www.Arctic-council.org/arr.

    Google Scholar 

  • Armitage, D., Berkes, F., Dalea, A., Kocho-Schellenberg, E., & Patton, E. (2011). Co-management and the co-production of knowledge: Learning to adapt in Canada’s Arctic. Global Environmental Change, 21(3), 995–1004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnhardt, R., & Kawagley, O. (2005). Indigenous knowledge systems and Alaska native ways of knowing. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 36(1), 8–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner, F., & Jones, B. (1993). Agendas and instability in American politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birkland, T. A. (2006). Lessons of disaster: Policy change after catastrophic events. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blair, B., Lovecraft, A. L., & Hum, R. (2018). The disaster Chronotope: Spatial and temporal learning in governance of extreme events. In S. Bonati, L. M. Calandra, & G. Forino (Eds.), New trends for governance of risks and disasters: Theory and practice. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosso, C. (1994). The contextual bases of problem definition. In D. Rochefort & R. Cobb (Eds.), The politics of problem definition: Shaping the policy agenda. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Busenberg, G. (2001). Learning in organizations and public policy. Journal of Public Policy, 21(2), 173–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busenberg, G. (2004). Adaptive policy Design for the Management of wildfire hazards. The American Behavioral Scientist, 48(3), 314–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapin, F. S., III, Sommerkorn, M., Robards, M. D., & Hillmer-Pegram, K. (2015). Ecosystem stewardship: A resilience framework for arctic conservation. Global Environmental Change, 34, 207–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, M., March, J., & Olsen, J. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(March), 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J., Pfeiffer, K., & Francis, J. A. (2018). Warm Arctic episodes linked with increased frequency of extreme winter weather in the United States. Nature Communications, 9, 869. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-02992-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cost, D. S. (2015). The role of public education in governance for resilience in a rapidly changing Arctic. Ecology and Society, 20(3), 29. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-07757-200329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crutzen, P. J. (2002). Geology of mankind. Nature, 415(2 January), 23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniel, R., & Behe, C. (2017). Co-production of knowledge: An inuit indigenous knowledge perspective. Abstract #C13H-04 given at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeRue, S. (2011). Adaptive leadership theory: Leading and following as a complex adaptive process. Research in Organizational Behavior, 31, 125–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dhillon, J. (2017). Prairie rising: Indigenous youth, decolonization, and the politics of intervention. Buffalo: University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunlap, R. E., & McCright, A. M. (2011). Organized climate change denial. In J. S. Dryzek, R. B. Norgaard, & D. Schlosberg (Eds.), The oxford handbook of climate change and society (pp. 144–161).

    Google Scholar 

  • Eicken, H., Lovecraft, A. L., & Druckenmiller, M. (2009). Sea-ice system services: A framework to help identify and meet information needs relevant for Arctic observing networks. Arctic, 62, 119–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fazey, I., Fazey, J. A., & Fazey, D. M. A. (2005). Learning more effectively from experience. Ecology and Society, 10(2), 4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, F., & Forester, J. (Eds.). (1993). The argumentative turn in policy analysis and planning. Durham: Duke University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folke, C., Pritchard, L., Jr., Berkes, F., Colding, J., & Svedin, U. (2007). The problem of fit between ecosystems and institutions ten years later. Ecology and Society, 12(1), 30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, J., Vavrus, S. J., & Cohen, J. (2017). Amplified Arctic warming and mid-latitude weather: New perspectives on emerging connections. WIREs Climate Change, 8, e474. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.474.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hiedanpää, J. (2013). Institutional misfits: Law and habits in Finnish wolf policy. Ecology and Society, 18(1), 24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inuit Circumpolar Council-Alaska. (2015). Alaskan Inuit food security conceptual framework: How to assess the Arctic from an Inuit perspective. Technical report. Anchorage: ICC-Alaska. Available online at: www.iccalaska.org.

  • Kingdon, J. W. (2003). Agendas, alternatives and public policies (2nd ed.). New York: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2018). Public policy (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: CQ Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krajick, K., et al. (2007). Race to plumb the frigid depths. Science, 315(5818), 1525–1528. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.315.5818.1525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, J. N., & Fondahl, G. (eds). (2015). Arctic human development report : Regional processes and global linkages. Copenhagen. https://doi.org/10.6027/TN2014-567.

  • Lovecraft, A. L. (2013). The human geography of Arctic Sea ice: Introduction. Polar Geography, 36(1–2), 1–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovecraft, A. L., & Eicken, H. (Eds.). (2011). North by 2020: Perspectives on Alaska’s changing social-ecological systems. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahler, J. (1997). Influences of organizational culture on learning in public agencies. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 7(4), 519–540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meek, C. L., Lovecraft, A. L., Varjopuro, R., Dowsley, M., & Dale, A. T. (2011). Adaptive governance and the human dimensions of marine mammal management: Implications for policy in a changing north. Marine Policy, 35, 466–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meier, W. N., Hovelsrud, G. K., van Oort, B. E. H., Key, J. R., Kovacs, K. M., Michel, C., Haas, C., Granskog, M. A., Gerland, S., Perovich, D. K., Makshtas, A., & Reist, J. D. (2014). Arctic Sea ice in transformation: A review of recent observed changes and impacts on biology and human activity. Reviews of Geophysics, 52, 185–217. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013RG000431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mintrom, M., & Vergari, S. (1996). Advocacy coalitions, policy entrepreneurs, and policy change. Policy Studies Journal, 24(3), 420–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson, A. E., & Meek, C. L. (2016). Organizational learning in regional governance: A study of the Arctic Council. Stockholm Environmental Institute, Working paper 2016–14, Stockholm, Sweden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nuttall, A. D. (2014). Sovereignty, security, and international cooperation. In W. R. Murray & A. D. Nuttall (Eds.), International relations and the Arctic (pp. 599–623). Amherst: Cambria Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palosaari, T. (2012). The amazing race. On resources, conflict, and cooperation in the Arctic. In L. Heininen & R. Rouge-Oikarinen (Eds.), Nordia geographical publications yearbook 2011: Sustainable development in the Arctic region through peace and stability (pp. 13–30).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pretes, M., & Robinson, M. (1989). Beyond boom and bust: A strategy for sustainable development in the north. Polar Record, 25(153), 115–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robards, M. D., & Lovecraft, A. L. (2010). Evaluating co-management for social-ecological fit: Indigenous priorities and agency mandates for Pacific Walrus. Policy Studies Journal, 38(2), 257–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rochefort, D. A., & Cobb, R. W. (Eds.). (1994). The politics of problem definition: Shaping the policy agenda. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanovsky, V. E., Isaksen, K., Drozdov, D., et al. (2017). Changing permafrost and its impacts. pp 65–102 in AMAP, 2017. Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA) 2017. Arctic monitoring and assessment Programme (AMAP), Oslo, Norway.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabatier, P. (1993). Policy change over a decade or more. In P. Sabatier & H. Jenkins-Smith (Eds.), Policy change and learning: An advocacy coalition approach. Boulder: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabatier, P., & Jenkins-Smith, H. (1993). The study of public policy processes. In P. Sabatier & H. Jenkins-Smith (Eds.), Policy change and learning: An advocacy coalition approach. Boulder: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seidman, E., & Rappaport, J. (Eds.). (1986). Redefining social problems. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Serreze, M. C., & Stroeve, J. (2015). Arctic sea ice trends, variability and implications for seasonal ice forecasting. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 373(2045), 20140159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, S., Plattner, G.-K., Knutti, R., & Friedlingstein, P. (2009). Irreversible climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions. PNAS, 106, 1704–1709. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0812721106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone, D. (2012). Policy paradox: The art of political decision making. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tengö, M., Brondizio, E. S., Elmqvist, T., Pernilla, M., & Spierenburg, M. (2014). Connecting diverse knowledge systems for enhanced ecosystem governance: The multiple evidence base approach. Ambio, 43(5), 579–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, T. F. (2001). Subsistence in northern communities: Lessons from Alaska. The Northern Review, 23, 82–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trainor, S. F. (2017). Adaptation. In Adaptation actions for a changing Arctic: Perspectives from the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort region. Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP): Oslo.

    Google Scholar 

  • USGCRP. (2017). In D. J. Wuebbles, D. W. Fahey, K. A. Hibbard, D. J. Dokken, B. C. Stewart, & T. K. Maycock (Eds.), Climate science special report: Fourth national climate assessment, Volume I (470 pp). Washington, DC: U.S. Global Change Research Program. https://doi.org/10.7930/J0J964J6.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Waters, C. N., Zalasiewicz, J., Summerhayes, C., Barnosky, A. D., Poirier, C., Gałuszka, A., Cearreta, A., Edgeworth, M., Ellis, E. C., Ellis, M., Jeandel, C., Leinfelder, R., McNeill, J. R., Richter, D., Steffen, W., Syvitski, J., Vidas, D., Wagreich, M., Williams, M., Zhisheng, A., Grinevald, J., Odada, E., Oreskes, N., & Wolfe, A. P. (2016). The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene. Science, 351(6269), 137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitt, L. (2009). Science, colonialism, and indigenous peoples. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wohlforth, C. (2004). The whale and the supercomputer: On the northern front of climate change. New York: North Point Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, O. R. (2002). The institutional dimensions of environmental change: Fit, interplay, and scale. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Young, O., & Underdal, A. (1997). Institutional dimensions of global change. IHDP Scoping Report. International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, Bonn, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zellen, B. S. (2009). Arctic doom, Arctic boom: The geopolitics of climate change in the Arctic. Praeger, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Arctic Policy Studies, International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, USA

    Amy Lauren Lovecraft

  2. School of Education, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, USA

    Douglas Cost

Authors
  1. Amy Lauren Lovecraft
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Douglas Cost
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy Lauren Lovecraft .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    Douglas C. Nord

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Lovecraft, A.L., Cost, D. (2019). Policy Paradoxes: Challenges Confronting the Contemporary Arctic. In: Nord, D. (eds) Leadership for the North. Springer Polar Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03107-7_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation