Deck 11: Governance: Biases and Blind Spots

Question 1

As an economic technique, discounting:

A) Is a non-problematic technique for valuing the well-being of future generations.
B) Typically values future generation more than those presently living.
C) Often leads to calculations that undervalue future generations.
D) All of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What is the branch of macroeconomics that evaluates well-being and that is often used (especially in the US) to evaluate competing policies?

A) Welfare economics.
B) Utilitarian economics.
C) Micro-macro economics.
D) Participatory economics.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following captures the spirit of the tragedy of the commons thesis?

A) Everyone acting in their own self-interests, when resources are shared and limited, will have catastrophic ends.
B) There is NO need for private property because everyone acting selfishly will lead to sustainable ends.
C) Collaboration will solve all world's problems.
D) All of the above.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which is a collaborative international initiative within the United Nations climate talks and other international forums which will help to compensate governments, communities, companies, and/or individuals in low-income countries for actions that protect forests?

A) Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD).
B) Impact Population And Forest Regulations (IPAFR).
C) Deforestation and Depletion (DAD).
D) Monetary Redirection of Emissions and Deforestation (MRED).

Question 5

Which is a term coined by environmental sociologists Freudenburg and Gramling to refer to a situation when attention is diverted away from real problems by trying to reframe the debate as being about something else?

A) Distractive diversions.
B) Diversionary reframing.
C) Efficiency shifting.
D) Diversionary branding.

Question 6

Which of the following is an assumption of The Self-Interested Straw Person?

A) Another theoretical assumption of welfare economics.
B) That the individual (firm / corporation) is selfish and self-interested.
C) Applies to nations or other entities as well.
D) All of the above.

Question 7

The problem of not being able to settle on a policy option that will protect future generations is that it translates into lowering the current well-being of persons (corporations as persons) today. This is known as:

A) The self-interested straw person
B) The big metabolic rift
C) Tyranny of the present
D) All of the above

Question 8

There is a metaphor of a pasture held "in common". All farmers act on their own self-interest and add additional cows to the field to optimize their own welfare / self-interest. This leads to over-grazing and loss of a farmer's own herd and their own self-interest/ welfare is compromised. This is an example of:

A) Pasture economy
B) Tragedy of the Commons
C) Efficiency borrowing
D) All of the above

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of post normal science (PNS)?

A) Funtowicz and Ravetz (1992) provide a new scientific paradigm from traditional assumptions of academic forms of science.
B) As scientific questions increase in their complexity and system uncertainty - so too should there be an increase in who is involved in finding answers to them.
C) Individual scientists are hired by industry and NGOs as consultants.
D) All of the above are characteristics of PNS.

Question 10

Which term best defines collaborative agreements between nations within the United Nations to protect the environment and conserve natural resources?

A) Global governance.
B) Common property users.
C) Post normal scientific methods.
D) All of the above.

Question 11

Post-normal science refers to those scientific questions that require the making of value judgments.

Question 12

Discounting is no longer used by policymakers in the United States.

Question 13

The so called "prisoner's dilemma" is based on the premises that in the real world people talk to each other.

Question 14

"Common property" and "open access regimes" refer to the exact same thing.

Question 15

Common Property Regimes are a legal entity that has the right to limit access and exclude "nonmembers" from using a particular resource.

Question 16

With open access regimes there are no limits on who has access to a certain resource.

Question 17

REDD, (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)is an international agreement to address climate change through carbon capture.

Question 18

Relative sustainability is leaving a stock of natural capital and other public and social goods in good standing for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.

Question 19

The precautionary principal assumes that if a product or process will expose certain members of a group to a higher level of risk - the product or process should not go forward.

Question 20

Under the assumption of resource privatization "the commons" and other resources once held "in common" can be own privately owned and exploited by private individuals (or corporations).

Question 21

Define The tragedy of the commons.

Question 22

Define Common property regimes.

Question 23

Define Resource privatization

Question 24

Define Discounting and forest management.

Question 25

Define REDD, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.

Question 26

Define Global governance

Question 27

Define Absolute sustainability.

Question 28

Define the Precautionary Principal.

Question 29

According to Carolan, with globalization the barriers to sustainability "increase exponentially." What does he mean by that?

Question 30

Which Fast Fact would you use to talk to and educate others about our current forms of governance and transitioning to a more sustainable future? Why and what would you say?

Question 31

According to Chapter 11, what is meant by "welfare economics?" What are some of the problems with this approach in developing more sustainable solutions to our current economic and environmental crisis? Reference the chapter in your explanation.

Question 32

Describe the "Pareto optimality curve." According to Chapter 11, why is this purportedly value-neutral approach to economic development and environmental protection unethical? Reference the chapter in your explanation.

Question 33

What is meant by the "tyranny of the present?" Reference Chapter 11 in your explanation.

Question 34

Discuss what is meant by the "tragedy of the commons." What is one of the criticisms of this perspective? Discuss the difference between "common property" versus "open access" regimes.

Question 35

How can group communication and "social capital" lead to behaviors less motivated by self-interest and more focused on the common good? Reference the chapter in developing your answer.

Question 36

What does Carolan mean by the "precautionary principal?" How might this logic move us forward in building more sustainable societies?

Question 37

According to Chapter 11 (citing environmental sociologist William Freudenburg in particular) is pollution a "necessary evil" for economic growth and prosperity? Make reference to Chapter 11 (the Freudenburg argument) in your explanation.

Question 38

How should future generations be factored into our thinking when assessing policy options?

Question 39

As many of today's problems are global, do we need something akin to a global governing body to deal with these threats? What are some of the potential benefits and costs of this scenario?

Question 40

Should we be more cautious in our approach to novel technologies? Reference the text in your response.

Question 41

How does Elinor Ostrom's research (and that of others in the governing-the-commons tradition) give us hope?