Download full text
(273.7Kb)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-219835
Exports for your reference manager
Rapid change in agricultural policies: the BSE-crisis in Germany (2000-2001)
[working paper]
Corporate Editor
Universität Bremen, Forschungszentrum Nachhaltigkeit (artec)
Abstract "Today, 'governance' is regarded as the most effective tool to work on and to solve civil
political conflicts between competing social claims (Grote/Mbikpi2001). This applies
for the field of agricultural and rural problems, too (Berkes/Folke/Colding 1998;
Lance/Gunderson/Holling 2001). Governance i... view more
"Today, 'governance' is regarded as the most effective tool to work on and to solve civil
political conflicts between competing social claims (Grote/Mbikpi2001). This applies
for the field of agricultural and rural problems, too (Berkes/Folke/Colding 1998;
Lance/Gunderson/Holling 2001). Governance is considered to compensate the weaknesses
of traditional forms of political-administrative interventions (state failure due to
continuous functional differentiation and individualisation).
On the other hand, governance mostly enables incremental changes only. Such a change
usually proceeds slowly. But in view of the dramatic potential of non-sustainable practices
and routines and there is a strong demand for a more substantial and rather rapid
change. Agriculture represents in many respects a perfect example for this expectation.
However, the more substantial and rapid the intended changes are being conceived the
more they inevitably get in conflict with more or less firmly established power structures.
Thus, the question arises: How do such hierarchies of power get moving? Or even
better: How can rapid and substantial change in favour of more sustainable practices
and orientations can be stimulated? Metaphorically speaking: Are there examples to be
found where the focus was not primarily on modifying the distribution of a given cake
but where the recipe of the cake is fixed anew? The political conflict regarding the reorientation
of agricultural policy in Germany which came up in connection with the
BSE scandal in the year 2000 may be seen as an example of this kind of change.
In this case, the political power of an bb-industrial cluster which had been very stable
over decades was shaken to its foundations within just a few weeks time. This process is
being described within the scope of an analysis of beliefs, discourses and story-lines
(Hajer 1996) of the relevant actors in politics and associations as well as in the press.
The decisive point is seen in a rapid process of de-legitimation of the actor discourses
having been dominant until then. On this basis existing discourse alliances can be dismantled
and new alliances can be formed. The process of de-legitimation is mainly a
result of two interrelated elements: The specific logic of more or less voluntarily chosen
discourses (about “good agriculture” and the character of BSE) on the one hand and real
incidents (identification of an infected cow with undoubtedly German origin) on the
other hand.
Finally, it will be discussed what are the limits of such processes of rapid dismantling of
power positions and political concepts (Kingdon 2001)." (author's remark)... view less
Keywords
political conflict; sustainability; governance; power; discourse; agriculture; political governance; agricultural policy; orientation; dominance; illness; animal
Classification
Special areas of Departmental Policy
Document language
German
Publication Year
2004
City
Bremen
Page/Pages
21 p.
Series
artec-paper, 119
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications
Data providerThis metadata entry was indexed by the Special Subject Collection Social Sciences, USB Cologne