Accounting for neoliberalism: “Social drivers” in environmental management

Prevailing models of the human-environment relationship in environmental science, policy, and management (ESPM), largely based on the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Responses (DPSIR) framework, are restricted in their ability to incorporate insights from the environmental social sciences and humanities (ESSH). A review of related literature suggests that ESSH scholars are more likely to critique these models for reinforcing problematic social trends than employ them as analytical tools. Nevertheless, the language of ESPM frameworks can be repurposed to account for a broader range of social considerations. As a first step, this paper develops the concept of “drivers” to focus on social drivers - i.e., the major social, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape social-ecological systems. For example, neoliberalism may be viewed as a major social driver that has significantly affected small-scale fisheries. While the ecological and economic goals for neoliberal strategies (such as catch shares) are optimistic, commonly observed social effects of these policies are less favorable. This paper illustrates how, if needed, indicators can be developed to assess the social effects of neoliberal policies so that they may be analyzed alongside their economic and ecological effects in an integrated assessment. Such an approach may help draw ESPM attention to the critical roles of social drivers and social conditions in interrelated social and environmental problems. Focusing on social drivers offers a potential avenue for bridging ESPM and ESSH, and collaborating toward mutual goals of environmental sustainability and human wellbeing.