Abstract
This article considers the genesis, characteristics, and dynamics of boundary organizations as they apply specifically to environmental boundary objects, that is, pieces of science on which policy is reliant. Boundary organizations have been widely discussed since the 1990s but are undertheorized in terms of political concepts; this paper approaches environmental boundary organizations as essentially liberal vehicles of power using Lukes’ definition, in which the liberal dimension of power is divided into (a) eliciting and (b) meeting wants of stakeholders equitably. Environmental boundary organizations are compared and contrasted with single-perspective organizations (that is, organizations beholden to either government or industry) and the failure of single-perspective organizations to bridge the needs of multiple stakeholders insofar as environmental issues are concerned. Case studies of successful boundary organizations, such as HEI and COST, are utilized to demonstrate how and why well-designed environmental boundary organizations function, with the basis of success being a commitment to multiple parties’ interests as represented by a neutral, balanced organization that supports joint agenda-setting, governance, research, and arbitration of knowledge. The findings support the claim that environmental boundary organizations are highly effective, sitting as they do between the needs of governance and the market, and the details provided in the case studies provide a convenient summarization of how such organizations should be approached and structured for maximum benefit to all parties.
Recommended Citation
Tuholski, Andy
(2024)
"Between Governance and Markets: An Assessment of Environmental Boundary Organizations,"
Midwest Social Sciences Journal: Vol. 27:
Iss.
1, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22543/2766-0796.1089
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/mssj/vol27/iss1/9
