Abstract ID: 258

The military, economic and ecologic conceptions of control: Understanding the other in order to build bridges towards the sustainable development of the Amazon

Drawing on social theory (in particular neoinstitutional theory in organizations), this paper looks at the trajectory of the governance of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in the last four decades, and argues for the importance of understanding the contrasting points of view in order to ensure the future sustainable development of the region. The empirical data for this study comes from interviews with key officers from the Brazilian government, researchers and representatives of NGOs, and from secondary data found in official documents, newspaper articles and scholarly studies on the topic. The analyses focus on the changing ways in which the government has conceptualized and managed the rainforest, and the role of technology (e.g. remote-sensing monitoring) and official policies (e.g. subsides and environmental laws) as both symptom and supporters of underlining institutional forces. It endeavors to show that in the last four decades the governance of the rainforest has been influenced by three competing conceptions of control (totalizing worldviews): the military, the economic and (more recently) the ecologic. In this context, the evolution of the Brazilian policy can be understood as the ongoing contested ascent of the ecologic conception of control in a circumstance dominated by the economic and the military conceptions of control. As a result of those institutional changes, the rainforest has shifted its meaning from “green desert” that must be colonized for the national security to “natural patrimony” that must be preserved for the well-being of humankind. Nevertheless, the economic conception of control still holding the upper hand, and even though the ecologic conception of control has started to absorb some elements of the economic conception (e.g. the term “sustainable development” puts together ideals from both views), the relation between the holders of the two conceptions of control still very conflictual. The paper concludes by calling for the intensification of inter-disciplinary studies that develop conceptual bridges aiming at fostering the dialogue between the three contrasting conceptions of control.

Session:  Public Policies and Sustainable Development - Policy scenarios for sustainable development.

Presentation Type:  Oral