Robyn Eckersley
Encyclopedia
Robyn Eckersley is a Professor and Head of Political Science in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
, Australia. She was previously a public lawyer, and a lecturer at Monash University
until 2001. She studied at the University of Western Australia, Cambridge University, and did a PhD at the University of Tasmania.
Eckersley works on critical theory
and political ecology
. Her 1992 book was one of the first to argue for an ecocentric
form of government
.
ideals and democratic
procedures of the democratic state
are infomed by ecological democracy. The sovereign state
is recast in the role of ecological steward and facilitator of transnational
democracy. The green democractic state is proposed as an evolutionary
alternative to the liberal democratic
state, the welfare state
, and the neoliberal
state.
Eckersley's arguments are largely conducted in the domain of political theory, but have proven influential in environmental politics
.
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, Australia. She was previously a public lawyer, and a lecturer at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
until 2001. She studied at the University of Western Australia, Cambridge University, and did a PhD at the University of Tasmania.
Eckersley works on critical theory
Critical theory
Critical theory is an examination and critique of society and culture, drawing from knowledge across the social sciences and humanities. The term has two different meanings with different origins and histories: one originating in sociology and the other in literary criticism...
and political ecology
Political ecology
Political ecology is the study of the relationships between political, economic and social factors with environmental issues and changes. Political ecology differs from apolitical ecological studies by politicizing environmental issues and phenomena....
. Her 1992 book was one of the first to argue for an ecocentric
Ecocentrism
Ecocentrism is a term used in ecological political philosophy to denote a nature-centered, as opposed to human-centred, system of values. The justification for ecocentrism usually consists in an ontological belief and subsequent ethical claim...
form of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
.
The Green State
In her 2004 non-fiction book The Green State: Rethinking Democracy and Sovereignty, Eckersley proposes “critical political ecology” as a paradigm to explore what it might take to create a green state or green democratic state, a government where the regulatoryRegulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
ideals and democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
procedures of the democratic state
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
are infomed by ecological democracy. The sovereign state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
is recast in the role of ecological steward and facilitator of transnational
Transnationalism
Transnationalism is a social movement and scholarly research agenda grown out of the heightened interconnectivity between people and the receding economic and social significance of boundaries among nation states....
democracy. The green democractic state is proposed as an evolutionary
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
alternative to the liberal democratic
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
state, the welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, and the neoliberal
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
state.
Eckersley's arguments are largely conducted in the domain of political theory, but have proven influential in environmental politics
Environmental politics
Environmental politics is an academic field of study focused on three core components:The study of political theories and ideas related to the environment.The examination of the political parties and environmental social movements....
.
Works
- Robyn Eckersley and Andrew Dobson (eds.). 2006. Political Theory and the Ecological Challenge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Robyn Eckersley and John Barry (eds.). 2005. The State and the Global Ecological Crisis. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Robyn Eckersley. 2004. The Green State: Rethinking Democracy and Sovereignty. Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press.
- Robyn Eckersley. 1992. Environmentalism and Political Theory: Toward an Ecocentric Approach. State University of New York Press.