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Governance via persuasion: environmental NGOs and the social licence to operate
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 12:19 authored by Hannah Murphy-GregoryHannah Murphy-GregoryThe ‘social licence to operate’ (SLO) concept is increasingly associated with environmental activism in nations with prominent resource extractive industries. Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) deploy it as a campaigning strategy to contest corporate activity, in particular, the environmental sustainability of existing or planned commercial projects. Drawing on two prominent Australian ENGO campaigns – against Seafish Tasmania’s Abel Tasman vessel and Tassal’s proposed fish farm operations on Tasmania’s east coast – the SLO strategy is assessed in the context of the governance literature, arguing that it constitutes ‘governance via persuasion’, a mode that incorporates appeals to normative values. Australian SLO campaigns are primarily directed at the state, promoting opportunities for ENGOs to shape reviews and revisions to environmental regulation alongside governmental and corporate actors. SLO campaigns are therefore a contemporary expression of environmental strategies seeking regulatory change in contrast to ENGO-led private governance initiatives that often bypass the state.
History
Publication title
Environmental PoliticsVolume
27Pagination
320-340ISSN
0964-4016Department/School
School of Social SciencesPublisher
Frank Cass Co LtdPlace of publication
United KingdomRights statement
© 2017 Informa UK LimitedRepository Status
- Restricted