Plundered promise : capitalism, politics, and the fate of the federal lands / Richard W. Behan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Behan, Richard W., 1933-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public lands--United States--Management--History.

Public lands.

Corporations--United States--History.

Corporations.

Capitalism--United States--History.

Capitalism.

History.

Management.

United States.

Physical Description:

xiv, 240 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Island Press, [2001]

Summary:

"Subsidized liquidation of old-growth forests. Grazing rights leased at below-market rates. Mineral resources extracted with trifling royalty payments, or none at all. Water developments built with interest-free loans." "These and other actions serve private interests extremely well but inflict massive costs on society at large. They are but the most visible signs of the fundamental flaws in the current system of federal lands management. In Plundered Promise, leading resource management scholar Richard W. Behan presents a thought-provoking history and analysis of public lands management in the United States, as he describes how we arrived at the current situation and examines what we can do to rectify it."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Overture, in Theory and Practice 1

A Swatch of the Planet, a Parade of People 1

A Case Study: The Liquidation of Montana's Forests 22

Chapter 2 The Foundations of License: The Economics and Politics of Freedom, 1788-1891 43

Cultures, Resources, and One Hundred Years 43

Building the Foundations of License 48

The Federal Lands from 1788 to 1891 63

Democracy Tries Again ... and Again 67

Chapter 3 Altering the Foundations of License, 1891-1934 77

Trading Sovereignty for Abundance: The Rise of Corporate Capitalism 77

Confronting Corporate Capitalism: A New Mission for the Federal Lands 81

The Federal Land as Public Lands 104

Chapter 4 A Prelude to Overshoot: Professional Management for the Federal Lands, 1934-76 115

Coping with Scarcity amid Escalating Abundance 115

A Unified View Emerges, but a Convulsion Is Replayed 139

Chapter 5 The Economics and Politics of License: Corruption and Predation, 1976 to the Present 159

The Institutional Tables Are Turned 159

Potomac Fever, Planning, and Pillage 182

Chapter 6 Revoking the License 197

Revolution, Revision, and Recasting 198

In Pursuit of the Promise 202.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1559638486

1559638494

OCLC:

45610454