CODE NUMBER:
UPPSALA UNIVERSITY
Department of Government
Development Studies A
Exam in “International Environment and Sustainable Development”, 2016-05-04
Please note: Take a new paper sheet for each question (otherwise 3p will be deducted). Number each
sheet (from 1 etc).
Write your code number on each sheet.
The points: the maximum number of points is 100. To get Pass (Godkänt) you need a minimum of 50
points, to get Pass with distinction (Väl godkänt) you need 75 points. For exchange students both a
Swedish grade and the percentage you received will be reported.
We prefer if your answer is short and succinct and avoids long, slightly tedious passages. The questions
are formulated with the intention to demand your reflection but a concise answer. A contradictory answer
will affect our grading negatively.
Write with clear, legible letters! What we cannot read, we cannot grade. You are allowed to use a
dictionary in book format (not an electronic dictionary). You can answer either in English or Swedish.
GOOD LUCK! /Frederike, Hans & Michal
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1. Citizens, politicians, and experts have several different approaches – or even
paradigms – how to solve problems of environment and sustainable development.
a) In chapter 6 in their book Speth & Haas discuss four such “worldviews” on the
environment. Which are these four worldviews? Name and explain them. (12p)
b) Biermann et al. (2011) present in their article several proposals for global
sustainability. As which of the four worldviews (in Speth & Haas) would you categorise
Bierman et al.’s proposals? Motivate your answer and discuss two of their proposals
briefly. (13p)
Use a maximum of 200 words for your answer. After that we simply stop reading.
(25 points in total)
2. On the train from Stockholm your friend notices that you have been reading
Governing the Commons and wants to know what the book is about. You are closing in
on Uppsala so your answers have to be concise.
a) What does Ostrom mean by the commons? Why do they have to be governed? What
is her suggestion for how they should be governed? (10p)
b) Exemplify briefly with Ostrom’s empirical cases. Outline one successful and one
failed case – which factors led to these outcomes? (15p)
Use a maximum of 250 words for your answer. After that we simply stop reading.
(25 points in total)
3. The concept of social capital appears repeatedly in the course literature, such as
Ostrom's book and several journal articles; for example Duit (2010) on environmental
collective action and Aldrich (2011) on disaster recovery.
a) Define social capital and describe its general role for collective action. (5p)
b) What is the relationship between social capital and recovery from disasters? (Aldrich
2011) Do you think social capital can contribute to disaster risk reduction? Motivate
your answer. (10p)
c) What is the role of social capital for latent group and intermediate group
environmental collective action (ECA)? (Duit 2010) What do Duit’s research results
imply for the likelihood of people participating in recycling as ECA? (10p)
Use a maximum of 250 words for your answer. After that we simply stop reading.
(25 points in total)
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4. If you have participated in Seminar 1 (the Policy Presentation seminar) you already have the full
points for this question and do not need to answer it:1
In her book Elinor Ostrom arrives at 8 “design principles” characterising long-enduring
CPR (Common Property Resources) institutions. Which are these 8 design principles?
(8p)
5. If you have done the assignment and participated in Seminar 2 (the Literature debate seminar)
you already have the full points for this question and do not need to answer it: 2
In their article Wangel and Blomkvist (2013) argue that economic inequality might be
used to overcome a collective action problem in rural forest management. Outline and
discuss their reasoning; why was collective action successful in one of the villages
studied and not the other? What was the key mechanism? (8p)
6. If you have done the assignment and participated in Seminar 3 (the “Current Affairs” seminar)
you already have the full points for this question and do not need to answer it: 3
Kelman (2014) argues that the emphasis on climate change can depoliticise long-term
development challenges that small island developing states (SIDS) face. Explain this
argument and the conclusions that Kelman arrives at. Do you agree? Motivate your
answer. (9p)
1
If you received less than the full points for this seminar assignment, you should answer the question to
try to get the “remaining” points.
2
If you received less than the full points for this seminar assignment, you should answer the question to
try to get the “remaining” points.
3
If you received less than the full points for this seminar assignment, you should answer the question to
try to get the “remaining” points.
2/2