Resilience to capitalism, resilience through capitalism: indigenous communities, industrialization, and radical resilience in Arctic Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016A large and expanding body of scientific evidence shows that the Arctic is experiencing rapid social-ecological changes. Arctic stewardship is a framework for governance that is based on the principles of resilience thinking and is gaining prominence in both academic and political settings. However, critical scholars have indicted resilience thinking for failing to adequately comprehend the social dimensions of social-ecological systems. Resilience, therefore, remains a problematic theoretical foundation on which to base governance. The aim of this dissertation is to improve resilience thinking so that it can overcome its demonstrated shortcomings and thereby contribute to improved Arctic governance. I propose a novel theoretical framework called radical resilience, which integrates conventional resilience thinking with key insights from the political economic theories of certain Marxists and post-Marxists – namely that the capitalist mode of production and consumption is a key driver of ecological degradation and social inequity. Focusing on populations who maintain high degrees of non-capitalist modes of economic activity, I use radical resilience to answer the research question: How is the global capitalist system affecting the social-ecological resilience of Indigenous communities in northern Alaska as the Arctic continues to industrialize? Empirical case studies revolving around the three sectors of industrial activity increasing the fastest in the Arctic – tourism, natural resource extraction, and shipping – show that the relationship between capitalism and the resilience of Indigenous communities is complex and conflicted. While engaging in capitalism challenges traditional values, it is also a key strategy for maintaining adaptive capacity. Rather than calling for local places to ‘weather the storm’ of change – as resilience has been critiqued for doing –governance should enable local influence over global processes through enhanced bottom-up democracy, or what the resilience literature calls revolt.Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Dissertation Methodology -- 1.3 Arctic Change -- 1.3.1 Defining the Arctic -- 1.3.2 Environmental Changes -- 1.3.3 Social Changes -- 1.3.4 Changes in Coupled Social-Ecological Systems -- 1.4 Arctic Stewardship and Resilience -- 1.4.1 Ecosystem Stewardship Applied to the Arctic -- 1.4.2 Resilience Theory and its Application -- 1.5 Critiques of Resilience Thinking -- 1.5.1 Overview -- 1.5.2 Radical Political Economy Critiques -- 1.5.2.1 Background -- 1.5.2.2 The Critique -- 1.5.3 Capitalism with a Lower Case ‘c’ -- 1.5.4 Resilience and Capitalism: Reconsidering the Relationship -- 1.6 Radical Resilience: A New Framework for Steering Arctic Change -- 1.7 References -- Chapter 2: Integrating indigenous values with capitalism through tourism: Alaskan experiences and outstanding issues -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.1.1 Overview of Barrow, Alaska -- 2.2 Theoretical Framework -- 2.2.1 Sustainable Tourism -- 2.2.2 Indigenous Tourism -- 2.2.3 Radical Political Economy of Tourism -- 2.2.4 A Framework for Critical Indigenous Sustainable Tourism -- 2.3 Barrow Case Study -- 2.3.1 Methods -- 2.3.2 Findings and Discussion -- 2.3.2.1 Iñupiaq Values -- 2.3.2.2 Tourism in Barrow -- 2.3.2.3 Spaces of Confluence and Divergence -- 2.3.2.4 Future Considerations -- 2.4 Conclusion -- 2.5 References -- Chapter 3: Mapping industrial infrastructure in the US Arctic to support community wellbeing -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.1.1 The Social-Ecological Context of Industrial Infrastructure -- 3.1.2 Linkages between Industrial Infrastructure and Community Wellbeing -- 3.2 Methods -- 3.2.1 Definition of Key Terms -- 3.3 Industrial Infrastructure in the US Arctic’s Sub-Regions -- 3.3.1 Central North Slope and State Waters -- 3.3.2 National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska -- 3.3.3. Chukchi Sea Outer Continental Shelf -- 3.3.4 Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf -- 3.3.5 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- 3.3.6 Northwest Coastal and Interior Alaska -- 3.3.7 Regional Overview and Data Synthesis -- 3.3.8 Summary of Findings -- 3.4 Discussion and Conclusion -- 3.5 References -- Chapter 4: Relevance of a particularly sensitive sea area to the Bering Strait region: a policy analysis using resilience-based governance principles -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.1.2 Background -- 4.3 A Bering Strait Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) -- 4.3.1 Key Bering Strait Ecological and Cultural Resources -- 4.3.2 Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) -- 4.3.3 Risk Factors in the Bering Strait Resulting from Maritime Traffic -- 4.3.4 Implementing a PSSA in the Bering Strait -- 4.4 Resilience-Based Governance Principles -- 4.4.1 Principle 1: Institutions must be Ecosystem-Based -- 4.4.2 Principle 2: Institutions must be Cross-Scale -- 4.4.3 Principle 3: Institutions must be Adaptive -- 4.4.4 Principle 4: Institutions must be Legitimate -- 4.4.5 Principle 5: Institutions must be Implementable -- 4.5 Analysis and Discussion -- 4.5.1 Political Issues -- 4.5.1.1 Does a PSSA Function Effectively Across Scales? -- 4.5.1.2 Is a PSSA Implementable? -- 4.5.2 Likely Results -- 4.5.2.1 Is the Institution Ecosystem-Based? -- 4.5.2.2 Are the Institutions Adaptive? -- 4.5.2.3 Are the Institutions Perceived as Legitimate? -- 4.6 Conclusion -- 4.7 References -- Chapter 5: Conclusion -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Case 1: Tourism -- 5.2.1 What are the Key Social-Ecological Dynamics of the Given System? -- 5.2.2 Who Benefits from the Arrangement, at What Scale, and How Much? -- 5.2.3 Who Suffers from the Arrangement, at What Scale, and How Much? -- 5.2.4 Is Power Equitably Distributed in this Arrangement? -- 5.2.5 In this Context, what should be made Resilient to What and for Whom? -- 5.3 Case 2: Natural Resource Extraction -- 5.3.1 What are the Key Social-Ecological Dynamics of the Given System? -- 5.3.2 Who Benefits from the Arrangement, at What Scale, and How Much? -- 5.3.3 Who Suffers from the Arrangement, at What Scale, and How Much? -- 5.3.4 Is Power Equitably Distributed in this Arrangement? -- 5.3.5 In this Context, what should be made Resilient to What and for Whom? -- 5.4 Case 3: Shipping -- 5.4.1 What are the Key Social-Ecological Dynamics of the Given System? -- 5.4.2 Who Benefits from the Arrangement, at What Scale, and How Much? -- 5.4.3 Who Suffers from the Arrangement, at What Scale, and How Much? -- 5.4.4 Is Power Equitably Distributed in this Arrangement? -- 5.4.5 In this Context, what should be made Resilient to What and for Whom? -- 5.5 Global Capitalism’s Effects on Indigenous Communities: Northern Alaska and Beyond -- 5.5.1 Overview -- 5.5.2 Northern Alaska and the wider Arctic -- 5.6 Recommendation for Arctic Governance -- 5.6.1 Territorial Sovereignty -- 5.6.2 Effective Representation at the Regional Scale -- 5.6.3 Effective Representation at the Global Scale -- 5.7 Conclusion -- 5.8 References -- Appendix

Multilevel Governance of Global Climate Change: Problems, Policies and Politics.

How do global and regional climate targets, rules, policies, and standards emerge and under which conditions are they effectively enabled within domestic political systems? When and how do national policy innovations diffuse and who are the principle actors involved? This paper aims to shed light on the multilevel intermediation processes that shape climate policy development and implementation, with a particular focus the interplay between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), regional multilateral institutions, and their member states. As per the original project deliverable, the aim of this study is both descriptive – providing a detailed and historical perspective on “multi-level implementation of the UNFCCC regime through coordinated action within and between member states” – as well as analytical, namely, to assess its “effectiveness and ability to accelerate climate governance implementation”. It builds upon earlier ground-clearing research that produced a comprehensive mapping of the current UNFCCC regime and the wider climate governance regime complex, illuminating scope for action by a wide variety of actors at all scales, from the sub-national to the highest global level of political assembly (Coen, Kreienkamp, and Pegram 2020). By focusing on interscalar interactions on the regional level, this paper zeroes in on particularly important dynamics within this complex ecosystem of global climate governance. More specifically, we compare governance arrangements in the European Union (EU), where supranational climate policymaking is most advanced, to those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where regional cooperation on climate change remains very limited.1 Regional organizations provide an instructive domain of analysis because they sit neither at the “top” nor at the “bottom” of the global climate change regime, providing vital governance (regulatory) as well as meta-governance (steering) functions.2 Although there are significant differences between the EU and ASEAN, both case studies point to linkages between global, regional, and national climate governance, with the international framework setting boundary conditions for regional and national policy development and vice versa. However, while these linkages have, at several points in time, accelerated policymaking processes in the EU, they have created few opportunities for significant policy change within ASEAN. Whereas our previous mapping of the global climate governance landscape employed scholarship on regime complexity to illustrate the growing institutional diversity on the inter- 1 This emulates recent scholarship seeking to advance comparative leverage between the EU and ASEAN focused on institutional design, in light of temporal and spatial variation in regional integration processes (Hofmann and Yeo 2017). 2 Meta-governance arrangements do not regulate or govern directly but rather engage in the “organization of self-organization” by providing ground rules for and ensuring the coherence and consistency of different governance regimes and mechanisms, whether through networks, markets, or hierarchical steering (Jessop 1998, p. 42). 4 and transnational level, this paper aims to provide a more sophisticated account of the governance dynamics playing out within this cluster of institutional arrangements through a multilevel governance (MLG) lens. Given space constraints, our focus is on the UNFCCC regime, which remains at the core of the broader climate regime complex (Keohane and Victor 2011). While the regime complexity literature is primarily concerned with the rising density of institutions on the same level of governance and the resulting proliferation of overlapping rules (Alter and Meunier 2009), MLG is more concerned with linkages and interactions between multiple scales and levels of governance and how this affects where policymaking authority is located. This provides a useful frame for exploring if, how, when, and why the UNFCCC regime affects the design of regional and national institutional arrangements and how, in turn, actors at various levels of governance seek to shape the rules and institutions that make up the regime. We show how MLG structures can be exploited by progressive policy entrepreneurs, who advance novel policy solutions, as well as policy obstructers who, for various reasons, are invested in the status-quo. To do so, we employ John Kingdon’s (1984) multiple streams framework (MSF), which highlights both the structural conditions that facilitate or impede non-incremental policy change – problem perception, availability of policy solutions, and political willingness – as well as the ability of different agents to exploit these conditions. Understanding these processes, and under which conditions they result in more ambitious climate action, is vital for any efforts to make existing governance arrangements more effective. As such, this paper speaks not just to scholars of global governance, International Relations, public policy, and related disciplines but first and foremost to policymakers at various levels of decision-making, seeking to better understand and reform policy processes. We supplement the EU and ASEAN case studies – which focus primarily on vertical interactions in multilevel governance arrangements – with a case study on transnational policy diffusion, tracing how national climate framework laws have emerged as important governance tools for internalizing UNFCCC rules and norms, mostly in Europe but increasingly beyond. Climate laws are significant because they enshrine binding long-term mitigation targets and establish overarching governance frameworks to realize these targets. While they have primarily diffused horizontally, we also document how policy entrepreneurs have recently managed to “upload” the concept to the EU-level. Some design elements of climate framework laws are even reflected in the Paris Agreement. Because the latter does not set legally binding mitigation targets for individual countries, relying instead on voluntary national commitments, climate laws can provide an important “link between international obligations and national policymaking” (Nash and Steurer 2019, p. 1061). However, for mitigation commitments to be meaningful, accountability structures must be in place to ensure that targets are grounded in science and implemented effectively. As we will show, independent climate advisory bodies 5 (ICABs) can play an important role in this regard – but only if they are properly resourced and vested with requisite powers. To date, only a handful of countries, primarily in Europe, have implemented strong and robust climate laws, with ambitious and quantifiable long-term targets, clear governance provisions, and ICABs that are not just offering scientific advice but also rigid progress monitoring. Meanwhile, in the ASEAN region, long-standing structural limitations to political accountability, participation, and civil society engagement have impeded the development of climate laws and formal ICABs. However, as we will argue, the emergence of informal monitoring regimes comprised of domestic civil society organizations could provide an alternative, albeit “softer”, avenue for driving more ambitious climate action and holding governments to account. This paper begins by introducing multilevel governance (MLG) and the multiple streams framework (MSF), which provide the theoretical anchor for our case studies. We then apply these concepts to reflect on the development of climate governance in the EU, with particular focus on the interplay between the EU and the UNFCCC. This is followed by a case study on ASEAN, where regional climate governance structures are much less developed and there is little coordinated engagement with the UNFCCC regime. To illustrate the diversity of national approaches within ASEAN and identify obstacles and opportunities for more sophisticated climate governance arrangements, we supplement the regional case study with reflections on the current situation in Indonesia and Singapore. The next part of the paper focuses on national climate framework laws, explaining their emergence and ongoing diffusion as well as weighing in on their potential as innovative governance solutions. The paper concludes by reflecting on the future of global, regional, and national climate governance in light of conflicting problem definitions and the need for urgent action, even in the face of other pressing challenges, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

The use of hydrolysed diets for vomiting and/or diarrhoea in cats in primary veterinary practice

Objective To describe responses of cats prescribed a hydrolysed diet with or without concurrent medication for chronic vomiting and/or diarrhoea of undetermined aetiology. Materials and Methods Anonymised records of 512,213 cats under UK veterinary care in 2016 from the VetCompass database were searched using relevant terms for hydrolysed diets. The records of 5000 (90%) of 5569 cats with evidence of receiving a hydrolysed diet were randomly reviewed for gastrointestinal indication, prior and concurrent medication and response after hydrolysed dietary intervention. A poor response was defined as evidence of receiving antibiotic or glucocorticoid treatment for vomiting/diarrhoea at visits after the onset of the diet or death from gastrointestinal signs for at least 6 months follow-up. Results Of 977 cats prescribed a hydrolysed diet for chronic vomiting/diarrhoea, 697 (71%) were first prescribed the diet without concurrent antibiotics or glucocorticoids while 280 (29%) first received the diet with these medications. Thirty-four per cent of cats in the former group and 61% in the latter had a poor response. Cats older than 6 years and cats prescribed antibiotic and/or glucocorticoid for vomiting/diarrhoea before and concurrently with the diet had higher odds of poor response. Clinical Significance Although variations in our observations may reflect severity of signs or prescribing habits of primary-care veterinary surgeons, our study suggests there is merit in trialling a hydrolysed diet first as a sole therapy in cats with chronic vomiting/diarrhoea when diagnostic investigations do not reveal a cause, before resorting to antibiotic and/or glucocorticoid therapy for cases that respond poorly

Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the UK: their disorder predispositions and protections

Abstract: Background: The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a popular dog breed in the UK but there is limited reliable evidence on disorder predispositions and protections within the breed. Using anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass™ Programme, this study aimed to identify common disorders with predisposition and protection in the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The study hypothesised that Staffordshire Bull Terriers would have higher odds of aggression compared with non-Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Results: The clinical records of a random sample of dogs of all types were reviewed to extract the most definitive diagnoses for all disorders existing during 2016. A combined list from the 30 most common disorders in Staffordshire Bull Terriers and the 30 most common disorders in non-Staffordshire Bull Terriers was generated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to report the odds of each of these disorders in 1304 (5.8%) Staffordshire Bull Terriers compared with 21,029 (94.2%) non-Staffordshire Bull Terriers. After accounting for confounding, Staffordshire Bull Terriers had significantly increased odds of 4/36 (11.1%) disorders compared to non-Staffordshire Bull Terriers with highest odds for seizure disorder (OR 2.06; 95% CI 1.24 to 3.40; p = 0.005). Conversely, Staffordshire Bull Terriers had reduced odds of 5/36 (13.9%) disorders, with lowest odds for patellar luxation (OR 0.15; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.61; p = 0.008). There was no significant difference in the odds of aggression between Staffordshire Bull Terriers compared with non-Staffordshire Bull Terriers (OR 1.09; 95% CI 0.75 to 1.58; p = 0.644). Conclusions: This study provides a reliable evidence base of breed-specific disorder predispositions and protections that can be used by breeders to optimise breeding decisions. The findings can assist prospective owners of Staffordshire Bull Terriers to make informed decisions when acquiring a dog. From the relative number of predispositions to protections identified, there is no evidence that Staffordshire Bull Terriers have higher overall health problems than non-Staffordshire Bull Terriers

Disorder predispositions and protections of Labrador Retrievers in the UK

Abstract The Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds worldwide, therefore it is important to have reliable evidence on the general health issues of the breed. Using anonymised veterinary clinical data from the VetCompass Programme, this study aimed to explore the relative risk to common disorders in the Labrador Retriever. The clinical records of a random sample of dogs were reviewed to extract the most definitive diagnoses for all disorders recorded during 2016. A list of disorders was generated, including the 30 most common disorders in Labrador Retrievers and the 30 most common disorders in non-Labrador Retrievers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to report the odds of each of these disorders in 1462 (6.6%) Labrador Retrievers compared with 20,786 (93.4%) non-Labrador Retrievers. At a specific-level of diagnostic precision, after accounting for confounding, Labrador Retrievers had significantly increased odds of 12/35 (34.3%) disorders compared to non-Labrador Retrievers; osteoarthritis (OR 2.83) had the highest odds. Conversely, Labrador Retrievers had reduced odds of 7/35 (20.0%) disorders; patellar luxation (OR 0.18) had the lowest odds. This study provides useful information about breed-specific disorder predispositions and protections, which future research could evaluate further to produce definitive guidance for Labrador Retriever breeders and owners

Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016

The Chihuahua, the world’s smallest dog breed, is a popular breed in the UK today. The VetCompass™ Programme collates de-identified clinical records from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK for epidemiological research. This study aimed to characterise the demography, age at death and common disorders of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care during 2016 in the UK

Unravelling the health status of brachycephalic dogs in the UK using multivariable analysis

Brachycephalic dog breeds are regularly asserted as being less healthy than non-brachycephalic breeds. Using primary-care veterinary clinical data, this study aimed to identify predispositions and protections in brachycephalic dogs and explore differing inferences between univariable and multivariable results. All disorders during 2016 were extracted from a random sample of 22,333 dogs within the VetCompass Programme from a sampling frame of 955,554 dogs under UK veterinary care in 2016. Univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression modelling explored brachycephaly as a risk factor for each of a series of common disorders. Brachycephalic dogs were younger, lighter and less likely to be neutered than mesocephalic, dolichocephalic and crossbred dogs. Brachycephalic differed to non-brachycephalic types in their odds for 10/30 (33.33%) common disorders. Of these, brachycephalic types were predisposed for eight disorders and were protected for two disorders. Univariable and multivariable analyses generated differing inference for 11/30 (30.67%) disorders. This study provides strong evidence that brachycephalic breeds are generally less healthy than their non-brachycephalic counterparts. Results from studies that report only univariable methods should be treated with extreme caution due to potential confounding effects that have not been accounted for during univariable study design or analysis

Stochastic properties of water storage

August 1980.Includes bibliographical references (pages 46-48)