The guiding hand of technocracy: Municipal solid waste and the case of Akron, Ohio

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:7021328

Dustin, J L

Serious municipal solid-waste problems first appeared in the nineteenth century with the quickening pace of industrialization and urbanization, and response was largely by a technocratic approach. This thesis explains how technology is still the preferred means for addressing municipal solid-waste issues and why this approach will ultimately fail. A case study of Akron, Ohio, demonstrates the importance of technology to the city's growth and importance. Akron's efforts to use state-of-the-art technology to solve its waste and economic problems reveals both the attraction of technology and the political consequences of an over-reliance on technological solutions to achieve a broad range of social and economic purposes. Technological successes in Akron and elsewhere have led many Americans to expect that technology can cure all of society's problems, even ones such as municipal waste which has defied technological solutions for over one hundred years.

• Research Organization: Delaware Univ., Newark, DE (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7021328
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320604 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Municipal Waste Management-- (1980-)
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MANAGEMENT
MUNICIPAL WASTES
NORTH AMERICA
OHIO
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
SOLID WASTES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES