Balancing informational perspectives - Environmental Reform in the Information Age - page 289

new modernity; by the same token, criticising a purely conventional,
state-centric model of environmental governance loses adequacy when
directed at places, projects and flows marginally related to the 'space
of flows', such as in many instances in Vietnam. In contemporary Viet-
nam, we should expect much more environmental effectiveness from
enhancing the capacity of conventional state-led environmental insti-
tutions, than from launching new informational strategies.
Hence, there is neither reason for fully embracing informational
governance as the last and most innovative sprout of successful envi-
ronmental reform, nor for condemning it as a toothless, voluntary
and deregulatory enterprise because it refrains from state sanction-
ing power to make a difference. The best assessment is perhaps this:
informational governance is emerging, be it in distinct forms and out-
looks, in different degrees and speed, at different places, networks and
fluids. It will not likely fully replace conventional forms of environmen-
tal governance, but, rather, constructs mixes and 'cohabitation' with
it, which vary between regions, networks and fluids. Because of this,
and because we are most likely only at the beginning of informational
governance, there is ample room to further design and set priorities
of some forms and arrangements of informational governance over
others. What will e-governance look like: managerial, consultative or
participatory (Chadwick and May, 2003 ); what kind of ecolabelling
schemes will become dominant (e.g., public, private, mixed); along
which lines will inclusions and exclusion of groups from informational
flows run in the future; to what extent do we allow homeland security
arguments to influence environmental disclosure programs; how will
we deal with informational uncertainties in new governance arrange-
ments; what arrangements for verification, auditing and accountabil-
ity will be designed and implemented; and who will be 'in charge'
of these? It is the answers to these and other questions that will in
the end determine how we judge informational governance on the
environment.
6. New governance modes, new research agendas
Every new development, approach or mode of environmental protec-
tion brings along new challenges, new questions and new conflicts.
Intensive social and policy science research over the past twenty-five
years has made us aware of the shortcomings, limitations and strengths