Abstract
Can the absence of good policy be attributed to the absence of a good theoretical understanding? Or is it that we need to understand the impact of knowledge at different levels, initially on policy as drafted in an overarching manner, and then on the drawing up of rules and laws which govern actual affects at the project and grassroots levels? This chapter examines these issues. It looks at different theoretical understandings of the environment and evaluates their effect, if any, on environmental policy, as well as on the details of laws and rules which give form to that policy. It first distinguishes between theory, models and frameworks. Postulating then that, at times, overarching concepts capture public attention more than detailed frameworks, the chapter then evaluates the policy impact of concepts such as sustainable development, resilience and vulnerability. It also examines the possibility of radical approaches such as de-growth and radical ecological democracy impacting policy. Recent developments in India such as the formulation of the National Environmental Policy, the Forest Rights Act and the move towards low-carbon growth and green accounting are seen as positive developments. On the whole, however, the Indian agenda on environment stands at the crossroads. Two kinds of processes are operating, albeit at different rates. There does exist a gradual understanding in different sections of the impending environmental crises. Other elements in the system, moving at a much faster pace, demand faster growth in the shorter run. These are driven by unconstrained market forces, irresponsible industrialisation and urbanisation. We do not know which way the balance will tilt.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
See Keynes, John Maynard (1936) the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, London, Macmillan.
- 2.
See Basu, K. (2016). In his treatise on the art of policy-making in India, however, the environment or policy relating to it finds no mention.
- 3.
See Agarwal (1997) for an example.
- 4.
See Ostrom (2009).
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
See IPBES (2016).
- 9.
See McCauley, D.J. Nature 443(7):27–28 (2006) and the MA panel’s response in the same volume of Nature.
- 10.
For a recent exposition, see Purushottaman et al. (2016).
- 11.
See Walker, B. and David Salt (2006).
- 12.
See Cook et al. (2010). The countries included are Chile, China, India, Madagascar, South Africa and Vietnam and the sectors covered aquaculture, sugarcane production, forest and salmon.
- 13.
See Chopra et al. (2009) for more details and implications for policy.
- 14.
See Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2003) for the conceptual framework.
- 15.
- 16.
For more details, see Chopra (forthcoming).
- 17.
See EPW Editorial ‘Choosing Speed Over Diligence’ Economic & Political Weekly, Vol. LI no 23, June 4, 2016.
- 18.
For one such study which builds a scenario for a hill state of India. Himachal Pradesh see Chopra and Das (2010).
- 19.
- 20.
- 21.
See Das (2012) for evidence and details.
- 22.
See Jairam Ramesh (2010), for a succinct exposition of the state of the debate and the policymakers’ consequent dilemma. Jairam Ramesh was Minister for the Environment, giving therefore an insiders’ view from the government as well.
References
Agarwal B (1997) Bargaining and gender relations, within and beyond the household. Fem Econ 3(1):1–51
Basu K (2016) An economist in the real world, the art of policy making in India. Penguin/ Viking, London
Chopra K (forthcoming) In Gerber J-F, Raina R (eds) Articulating green growth and degrowth: can they converge?
Chopra K, Das S (2010) India environmental outlook 2030: opportunities for growth in the ecologically fragile hill states: a study of Himachal Pradesh. Report submitted to the World Bank
Chopra K, Kumar P, Kapuria P (2009) Biodiversity, land use change and human well-being: a study in the Indian Sundarbans. Oxford University Press, Delhi
Coase RH (1960) The problem of social cost reprinted in Sankar, U (ed) Environmental economics. Oxford University Press, New Delhi
Cook JA, Cylke O, Larson DF, Nash JD, Stedman-Edwards P (2010) Vulnerable places, vulnerable: trade liberalisation, rural poverty and the environment. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, London/New York
Das S (2012) Pressure for conversion of forest land to non-forest use in India. In: Anon (ed) Deeper roots of historical injustice. Rights and Resources Initiative, Washington, DC, pp 159–234
Dayal V (2014) The environment in economics and development, pluralistic extensions of core economic models. Springer, New Delhi
Demaria F, Schneider F, Sekulova F, Martinez Alier J (2013) What is degrowth? From an activist slogan to a social movement. Environ Values 22:191–215
Economic and Political Weekly Editorial (2016) Choosing speed over diligence. Econ Polit Wly 51(23)
Government of India, Central Statistical Office (2013) Green accounting in India, report of the expert group
Government of India, Planning Commission (2014) Final report of the expert group on low carbon strategies for India
IPBES (2016) The methodological assessment report on scenarios and models for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Summary for Policy Makers, IPBES
Keynes JM (1936) The general theory of employment, interest and money. Macmillan, London
McCauley DJ (2006) Selling out on nature. Nature 443(7):27–28
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (2003) Ecosystems and human well-being: a frame work for assessment. Island Press, Washington, DC
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC
Ostrom E (2009) Beyond markets and states: polycentric governance of complex economic systems. Nobel Lecture, Stockholm
Pigou AC (1920) The economics of welfare. Macmillan, London
Purushothaman S, Ravi C et al. Harini Nagendra Manu Matha et al. doi:10.18472/SustDeb.v7n1.2016.17424
Ramesh J (2010) The two cultures revisited: the environment-development debate in India. Econ Pol Wkly 45(42):13–16
Sankar U (1998) Laws and institutions relating to environmental protection in India, MSE Occasional Paper No. 2
Sankar U (2001) Environmental Policy. In: Sankar U (ed) Environmental economics. Oxford University Press, New Delhi
Srivastava A, Kothari A (2012) Churning the earth, the making of global India. Viking/Penguin Books
Steffen W et al (2015) For planetary boundaries
UNEP (2014) Using indicators for green economy policymaking
Walker B, Salt D (2006) Resilience thinking: sustaining ecosystems and people in a changing world. Island Press, Washington DC
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chopra, K. (2017). Does a Good Knowledge Base Influence Policy-Making. In: Development and Environmental Policy in India. SpringerBriefs in Economics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3761-0_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3761-0_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3760-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3761-0
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)