Technologies for sustainability: a governmentality perspective

New technologies are needed to address sustainability issues through emerging forms of governance. These will be concerned with agency, performance and citizenship as much as with traditional biophysical concerns. The governance of water is a complex and critical issue where sustainability issues are coming to the fore and in which, we contend, technologies for sustainability are likely to emerge and develop. Accordingly, we examine and reflect on use of technologies as part of water governance in Scotland and New Zealand to consider if and how technologies are able to contest the current rationalities of government that do not appear to be delivering sustainable outcomes. Many assert that the rationality of advanced liberalism pervades governance of water despite claims of pursuing sustainability, and our findings support that assertion whereby current technologies are unlikely to facilitate sustainability