Papers by Özge Can Doğmuş
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Transformation is a multi-faceted concept with various meanings and assumptions about desired hum... more Transformation is a multi-faceted concept with various meanings and assumptions about desired human-environment relationships and pathways towards the ideal (sustainable) society. We need a better understanding of the different positions that scientists assume when conducting research and becoming involved in transformations of human-environment systems. In this paper we begin such an analysis by exploring how researchers at the Humboldt-Universität’s Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys) position themselves within that research. Empirical work was conducted in three steps. First, a survey was carried out among the institute’s academic staff to explore the influence of ideology, their involvement in processes outside academia, the ways in which their research relates to transformations of human-environment systems, and the type of science that gives them more recognition in their peer groups or institutions. Second, the findings ...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Over the last two decades, the world has experienced a boom in the number of hydropower projects.... more Over the last two decades, the world has experienced a boom in the number of hydropower projects. Considered an important part of sustainable development, particularly in post-socialist transition and developing countries, it is claimed that hydropower plants will make substantial contributions to environmentally friendly economic growth and poverty eradication. However, the so-called 'hydropower boom' has not resulted in a global mass construction of plants. In general, over-ambitious planning, a lack of funding opportunities and corruption are often put forward as explanations for the discrepancy between the number of plans and actual construction of hydropower plants. In this paper, it is added to these three reasons, illustrating with a case study from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the planning of hydropower projects very rarely results in their construction. The results are based on secondary data and primary data, i.e. semi-structured interviews and informal talks, collected during fieldwork in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The data was analyzed using the analytical induction method. The results highlight how administrative complexity, over-estimations of exploitable capacity, an unattractive sociopolitical and socioeconomic situation and how these factors in combination create the conditions for various practices of corruption hinder the construction of plants. Comparing the results with other findings from around the world, the paper suggests approaching the so-called global hydropower boom with caution.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
GeoJournal, 2020
The term ''sustainability'' is flexible as it needs to function in many different contexts and ac... more The term ''sustainability'' is flexible as it needs to function in many different contexts and across many issues. At the same time, this flexibility makes it difficult to assess and easy to misuse. Over the last three decades, numerous sustainability assessment tools have been developed to better define the term. In this paper, we critically address these attempts and argue that the flexibility of the term is not solely problematic, but allow people to create their own sustainability imaginaries, by which we mean a society's understanding of how environmental resources should be used. We show this through a case study, the Martin Brod village in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where, within a few years, the inhabitants changed their sustainability imaginaries in parallel with shifting external socioeconomic conditions and expectations. We primarily applied qualitative research methods. Our results show that changing sustainability imaginaries was made possible due to the flexibility of the term which enabled otherwise disempowered local inhabitants to have agency. Consequently, a stricter definition of sustainability may have unintended consequences for people struggling to maintain a political voice in settings such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Ecological Economics, 2020
The demand for hydropower production, as a prominent sustainable development strategy, has create... more The demand for hydropower production, as a prominent sustainable development strategy, has created a boom in the number of planned hydropower projects, especially small ones. These projects are mainly located in post-socialist transition and developing countries. However, emerging evidence suggests that most of the projects remain on paper. One reason for this is prevalent corruption. In the literature, corruption has been identified in megaprojects but a significant number of hydropower projects are smaller in size. This leaves a literature gap and a subsequent lack of understanding regarding corruption and its potential connection to the absence of hy-dropower construction. We argue that it also creates a 'safe space' for corrupt actors who use the sector for personal gain. In this paper, we address this nexus of unfinished hydropower projects, sustainable development in transition countries, corruption, and lack of scholarly attention by presenting empirical evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina. We highlight that sustainability goals associated with hydropower might be distorted, especially in transition countries as they are intermingled with hydropower projects that are embedded in complex bureaucratic structures. We conclude that focusing on the sector might improve its management, thus contributing to sustainable development, and also help to decrease the corruption risk.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2019
Over the last two decades, the world has experienced a boom in the number of hydropower projects.... more Over the last two decades, the world has experienced a boom in the number of hydropower projects. Considered an important part of sustainable development, particularly in post-socialist transition and developing countries, it is claimed that hydropower plants will make substantial contributions to environmentally friendly economic growth and poverty eradication. However, the so-called 'hydropower boom' has not resulted in a global mass construction of plants. In general, over-ambitious planning, a lack of funding opportunities and corruption are often put forward as explanations for the discrepancy between the number of plans and actual construction of hydropower plants. In this paper, it is added to these three reasons, illustrating with a case study from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the planning of hydropower projects very rarely results in their construction. The results are based on secondary data and primary data, i.e. semi-structured interviews and informal talks, collected during fieldwork in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The data was analyzed using the analytical induction method. The results highlight how administrative complexity, over-estimations of exploitable capacity, an unattractive sociopolitical and socioeconomic situation and how these factors in combination create the conditions for various practices of corruption hinder the construction of plants. Comparing the results with other findings from around the world, the paper suggests approaching the so-called global hydropower boom with caution.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Book Chapters by Özge Can Doğmuş
Sosyal, Beşeri ve İdari Bilimler Alanında Uluslararası Araştırmalar IX, 2022
Sürdürülebilirlik kavramına ve hedeflerine her ne kadar dünya genelinde oldukça rağbet edilse de ... more Sürdürülebilirlik kavramına ve hedeflerine her ne kadar dünya genelinde oldukça rağbet edilse de belirlenen hedeflere ulaşma konusunda ne yazık ki benzer bir ilgi söz konusu değildir. Uluslararası finans ve yardım kuruluşları, gelişmiş ülkeler kadar diğer ülkelerin de bu hedefleri gerçekleştirmede payı olduğunu hesaba katarak yeşil iktisat fonlarını artırmış, hatta çoğu zaman fon ve destek verme koşulunu bu tip projelere bağlamıştır. Haliyle, bu durum, gelişmekte olan ve iktisadi geçiş aşamasındaki ülkelerdeki yatırımcılar, politika yapıcılar ve bürokratlar için teşvik edici olmuştur. Ancak, yine bahse konu ülkelerde, alınan destek, yardım ve fonların miktarına kıyasla sürdürülebilir kalkınma hedeflerine ulaşma oranı arasında dengesizlikler mevcuttur. Bunun sebebi ise, bu ülkelerin birçoğunun mustarip olduğu yaygın ve gündelik yolsuzluk sorunudur. Yolsuzluğun yaygın olduğu bu ülkelere aktarılan bütçelerin önemli bir kısmının kişisel çıkarlar için kullandığını çıkarımı, yine aynı bütçelerin nasıl kullanıldığıyla ilgili resmi kayıtların bulunmaması sebebiyle yapılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Bosna-Hersek örneği üzerinden sürdürülebilir kalkınma söyleminin, yolsuzluğun yaygın olduğu ülkelerde kalkınma hedeflerini gerçekleştirmek için değil de, nasıl yolsuzluğu beslemek için kullanıldığı hususu tartışılmıştır.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Papers by Özge Can Doğmuş
Book Chapters by Özge Can Doğmuş