Treadmill of Production: Injustice and Unsustainability in the Global Economy

by Kenneth A. Gould, David N. Pellow, Allan Schnaiberg

Overview

Schnaiberg's concept of the treadmill of production is arguably the most visible and enduring theory to emerge in three decades of environmental sociology. Elaborated and tested, it has been found to be an accurate predictor of political-economic changes in the global economy. In the global South, it has figures prominently in the work of structural environmental analysts and has been used by many political-economic movements. Building new extensions and applications of the treadmill theory, this new book shows how and why northern analysts and governments have failed to protect our environment and secure our future. Using an empirically based political-economic perspective, the authors outline the causes of environmental degradation, the limits of environmental protection policies, and the failures of institutional decision-makers to protect human well-being.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317250135
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/17/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Authored by Gould, Kenneth A.; Pellow, David N.; Schnaiberg, Allan

Table of Contents

Part I Origins of the Treadmill Theory; Chapter 1 The Treadmill of Production as an Outcome of Scientific Methods; Chapter 2 Why Does the Theory Focus on Production Rather Than on Consumption?; Chapter 3 Is the Treadmill a Dialectical or a Linear Change Theory?; Part II Evolution and Application of the Theory; Chapter 4 How Has the Treadmill Theory Changed under Growing Globalization of Production since 1980?; Chapter 5 Applying the Treadmill to Socioenvironmental Problems; Part III The Future Role of the Treadmill Theory; Chapter 6 Is the Treadmill More/Still Useful Today for Ecological Analyses? for Social Analyses?; Chapter 7 What Are the Implications of the Treadmill for the Potential Attainment of Socially and Ecologically Sustainable Development Trajectories?; Chapter 8 Conclusion;

Editorial Reviews

Few works of social science prove enduring, much less prophetic. Allan Schnaiberg’s environmental sociology, first introduced in the 1980s, is here refashioned for the challenges of twenty-first-century globalization. Schnaiberg and his coauthors reach across the generations with profound insight, demonstrated prescience, and a new vision of social justice.”
—John Walton, Distinguished Research Professor, University of California

“The book represents an essential point of departure for understanding and addressing the challenges of controlling global environmental change in the twenty-first-century.”
—Thomas K. Rudel, Rutgers University

“Lays out a promising research agenda on the new politics of the environment for critical social scientists.”
—Maria Kousis, University of Crete

From the Publisher

Maintaining a critical, stimulating and thought-provoking spirit, Schnaiberg, Gould and Pellow move beyond the field of environmental sociology in the volume at hand. Aiming to interpret twenty-first-century political economy, environment, and social justice dilemmas, they explore in novel ways the transnationalization of the treadmill of production, thus extending Schnaiberg’s original theory. Their multilevel and U.S.-focused analysis enlighten the reader with their emphasis on global scale hegemonic as well as counterhegemonic political processes. Neither pessimists nor optimists, they view with caution and analyze with care the potential impacts of new transnational forms of resistance. Their unique approach lays out a promising research agenda on the new politics of the environment for critical social scientists.

Maria Kousis

Few works of social science prove enduring, much less prophetic. Allan Schnaiberg’s environmental sociology, first introduced in the 1980s and premised on the treadmill of production, is here refashioned for the challenges of twenty-first-century globalization. Schnaiberg and his students reach across the generations with profound insight, demonstrated prescience, and a new vision of social justice.

John Walton

In The Treadmill of Production Gould, Pellow, and Schnaiberg offer a theoretically driven explanation for our global environmental predicament that makes a great deal of sense. Their book represents an essential point of departure for understanding and addressing the challenges of controlling global environmental change in the twenty-first-century.

Thomas K. Rudel