Reflecting on Theory-Building: A Call for Empirical, Interpretive, and Confrontive Theory in Public and Environmental Affairs

Abstract

Despite the relevance of social theory to matters of public concern as diverse as social justice and the environment, the importance of standards for evaluating theoretical projects and new efforts in theory formation are more crucial than ever. In response to this need, we draw from the works of Bernstein and other foundational thinkers in the social science literature to identify three criteria to assess the usefulness of social theories to scholars and practitioners in the public sphere. We assess the relevance of these perspectives in a case study dealing with higher education in environmental science and studies (ESS), making the argument that ESS, with its increasing interest in policy and administration and growing relevance to broad matters of public wellbeing, has much to gain from adopting theoretical perspectives pioneered in public affairs. We conclude our analysis with a brief commentary on the importance of challenging theoretical assumptions at the scale of the individual practitioner in addition to that of the discipline, and with comments to the relevance of the evaluative approach we identify for a broad range of fields that straddle the academe and the public sphere.