University of British Columbia

Department Member, Political Science

Instructor (Sessional)

About

Dr. Raul Pacheco-Vega is a Vancouver-based researcher, educator and consultant in the field of environment and public policy. Dr. Pacheco-Vega was the Regional Director for Western Canada for the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP) [Jan 2010-Feb 2011] and currently teaches in the Department of Political Science of The University of British Columbia (UBC).

My research agenda:

My research is motivated by a keen interest in cooperation amongst agents. Why do people cooperate to manage common pool resources (CPR) and can we look at a wasted resource (wastewater) through the lenses of CPR theories? What drives firms to co-locate in the same geographical region even when they are potential competitors and how do clusters of allied (coupled/interconnected) industries respond to a multiplicity of stressors? What strategies do environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) use to put pressure on governments to reduce their pollutant emissions and what are the underlying reasons why these ENGOs build transnational coalitions? Under what circumstances do business use cooperative approaches to pollution control?

My research explores questions of multilevel and networked governance through cooperative approaches. Using a multidisciplinary analytical approach that borrows from the sociological, urban studies, planning, anthropological and policy sciences’ literatures, I examine case studies from the environmental field (specifically water, solid waste and hazardous/toxic waste), thus exploring new models of governing.

At the very core, my research (and teaching) are driven by a keen interest in narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, in reducing overall poverty worldwide. I use my understanding of cross-national comparative public policy (and in particular my work in environmental policy) to provide research outputs that policy makers at the global (intergovernmental secretariats) and local (federal, provincial, regional and municipal) scale can use to improve human welfare.

My empirical research has found, amongst other things, that:

* River basin councils have proven innovative institutional reforms to govern water, yet they are ineffective in improving wastewater management at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.
* Environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) can successfully use coalition-building strategies to effectively put pressure on national governments to improve their pollution-control performance policy under specific circumstances that include campaigning for issues that have a direct effect on human health.
* Small cities with mono-industry structures will engage in countervailing strategies if faced with multiple stressors, whereas cities where there is potential for industrial diversification will broaden their repertoire of industries.

A bit more about my current and future research agenda:

7 years ago I decided to refocus my research to examining water through the social sciences lenses. I find it really hard to let go of the field of environmental economic geography and I am still interested in issues of industrial restructuring. Finally I am working again in the field of solid waste management, specifically looking at the politics of garbage. Much of my field research has been in Mexico, although I've conducted research in Europe (the United Kingdom), Canada and the United States. My geographical area of focus is North America.

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