Villalba, Bruno

Mask games. The unfinished ministerial institutionalization of the environment - 2021.


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The variation in the names of the ministry responsible for ecology makes it possible to understand the difficult institutionalization of this topic. It reflects the ambiguous position of the ruling elites against environment and their hesitation in building a state apparatus dedicated to dealing with this issue. This paper attempts to show that the institutional construction of the environment, far from constituting a disruptive element, contributes to the pursuit of a policy of growth and development. It is then subordinated to a Cornucopianist policy (Promethean representation of political, technological and croissantist action). With reduced decision-making autonomy, this ministry becomes the back-up for other policies deemed to be priorities (planning, industrial and agricultural production, etc.). Now, under the name of Sustainable Development and then Ecological Transition, it is a question of continuing to develop green growth, which helps to relegate the ecological emergency.