Power Theories and the Case of Coal Steam Gas in Australia

This report examines power theories, specifically Pluralist and Marxist theories, within the context of a modern capitalist democracy. It begins by defining capitalist democracy and outlining the core tenets of each power theory, highlighting their key differences and strengths. The report then delves into how power operates within this framework, discussing the influence of various groups and the role of government. A significant portion of the report is dedicated to the case of coal steam gas in Australia, analyzing how the production and regulation of this resource relate to the aforementioned power theories. The report explores the economic benefits and environmental consequences of coal steam gas production, and discusses the government's role in balancing economic growth with environmental protection and social responsibility. The analysis includes an examination of the regulatory framework and the environmental challenges associated with coal steam gas extraction, such as water usage and pollution. The conclusion synthesizes the analysis, offering insights into which theory best explains how power functions in this specific context.

Which theory or theories of the
state examined in the course do you
consider best explains how power

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Pluralist theory of power and Marxist theory of power.........................................................1
Modern capitalist democracy.................................................................................................1
Power operates in a modern capitalist democracy.................................................................2
The case of coal steam gas in Australia..................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Capitalist democracy is the social, political and economic ideology which includes the
combination of the political democratic system with the capitalist economic system, where
democratic where the government have supreme power on the people and capitalist is where
the individual is free from the government rule. This report includes two basic theory of
Capitalist democracy which is Pluralist and Marxist, where Australia is following pluralist
and they have right to produce large amount of coal steam gas but that causes environmental
problem, to improve that they are adopting different Corporate social responsibilities.
Pluralist theory of power and Marxist theory of power
Pluralist theory of power: There are three largest regions which made the country
Pluralist. It basically focusses on how the power is being delegated.
Marxist theory of power: In this the power is basically focused on making the
relationship with the communities. The power is connected with the relation with the
ideology economics and policies.
Pluralist theory is better than Marxist theory because it has the best course of power.
They assess more power because the people of the country who use Pluralist have right to
produce what they want to manufacture and they have more power to sell as much as they can
as compare to the Marxist theory. Most of the people have private ownership which state that
there is very less intervention from the government. They have right to manage and operate
their own business. The demand and supply forces are affording to the market forces that are
income, price, market moves. They use proper entrepreneurship where they have large
number of private players without any government interference. They have freedom of
production, where they have right to produce what so ever they want to do. Where individual
have right to produce what they want to manufacture, own and operate their business without
or little intervention of government (Kelso and Adler, 2017). The most supportive is Pluralist
theory because it gives right of freedom to the people where the citizen of the country have
right or produce and sell the product they desire.
Modern capitalist democracy
Capitalist democracy is the social, political and economic ideology which are
involved in the share of the political democratic system. It is the three-party planning of
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private sector market economy which is based on economic incentive and democratic policy
through the liberal cultural system, free market and fiscal policy. There is proper voting
system where political party is selected when majority of people have voted them. It is argued
that the modern capitalism is the outcome of the creation of the modern welfare which is
promoted in the post war period (Reves, 2017). It has been exercised from the medieval times
which is based on the principle of liberalism which consist of equality and liberty. They key
characteristics of the Capitalist democracy, that are as follows:
There is private ownership: The citizen is free to operate and own their business but
with the little participation of the government.
Demand and supply: The economic forces such as demand, supply, income etc. are
being determined by the market moves, thus the market is free from the governmental
regulation.
Proper entrepreneurship: It is being hight encouraged by the system they adopt
which is private ownership without any government intervention.
Freedom of protection: The citizen of the country has right to choose what they want
to produce and for whom they will produce. Their decision is purely taken by the market
forces and economical basis (Hodgson, 2017).
Power operates in a modern capitalist democracy
There are three theories which is classified under the capitalist democracy, that are
Pluralist, Elitist and Marxist, from which Pluralist and Marxist is being explained and how
these theories will operate the power is being highlighted.
Pluralist theory of power: There are three largest regions which made the country
Pluralist. It basically focusses on how the power is being delegated. The people who are
included in this political power are minded people, business lobbyists, professional
association and unions. The percentage of the individual who create these groups are in small
numbers(Kahan, 2017). The people believe that the power is being fragmented and dispersed.
The group which is being made are more efficient and effective in representing themselves.
The influence is depended on the size of group, if it will large, it will create large influence
and vice versa. The rules and policies is made on the basis of compromise and bargaining.
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Marxist theory of power: In this the power is basically focused on making the
relationship with the communities. The power is connected with the relation with the
ideology economics and policies. The government is basically focusing on securing the
different circumstances for their economic class domination. They have analysed the power
in different ways, there are four related themes, from which first is connected with the power
of manifestations of a particular mode of class domination rather than as a purely social
phenomenon lacking heavy foundations in the social structure. Which state that they are only
believed on the casual relationship between the social power and transformation of class
domain. They make all the policies as the process of being rational and have been derived
from the socio-economic forces (Hesmondhalgh, 2017). The government have control over
the economic property, ideas, media and production.
As per the case, there are several benefits that have been that have been analysed with
the help of BCA (benefits and cost) analysis where they are using the pluralist theory which
serve relative and absolute economic benefits of the production of CSG on the agriculture.
This method is used to monetise and compute different advantages and cost to estimate the
net benefits which is made out of CGS production, agriculture and mining. Sometimes the
variables are known and sometimes not, so due to uncertainty, sensitive analysis is being
made in order to find the effects and different range of values with the net benefits
The case is about the Coal stram gas in the Australia Coal steam gas is the natural gas
which is trapped in underground coal seams by the ground water and water. It is the single
largest element of the coal steam natural gas is methane. The natural which is included in the
CGS is utilised by the household for cooking and heating, for creating electricity and
industries to produce products. It has accounted for 90% of Queensland's gas supply and the
70% of the generation of electricity. It is collected from the underground coal seams by
making bonding with the surface coal particles. The underground coal seams are mixed with
the water and the pressure of that water keeps the gas as the thin film on the surface. This is
called as the adsorption in the technical terms. This is major found in Australia and they are
currently having the largest reserve that are in the Surat basins and Queens-land's Bowen.
This is produced in the Australia since the 1990's. They are the largest exporter in the world.
CGS industries is on boom in Australia. With the start of 21st century, several manufacturing
industries have been increasing. The reserve they are having are taking exit to the Eastern
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states, the growing demand in the domestic and foreign country have made this expansion. It
is evaluated that the exports of coal steam gas have increased to more than fourfold in
Australia from last decade and now it is around $11 billion. With this Australia is facing
several problems that are development of balanced and responsive regulatory framework and
social and environmental issues that have underpinned the progression
The case of coal steam gas in Australia
From the year 1995 the CGS project gives Australia half of the gas output by the end
of 2020's. In the year 2010, Queensland have project to have 40000 wells for manufacturing
coal steam gas by the end of 2030. There is also opposite effect on this process of production
that, there are several competitive exporters who are eating up the share of Australia' s coal
steam gas (Reves, 2017).
There are several advantages that Australia is getting from this process that is
development and expansion of the CGS, there are more number of jobs that is around 18000
every year. Billions of dollars are earned from the export of CGS and the federal
organisations generated taxes at a huge level which is around $40 billion. Royalty is also
earned by the government of Queensland of around $850 million every year. There are
several benefits that have been introduced with the enhancement of industries such as it
serves taxes and jobs, royalty and export benefits which leads to proper balance of payment.
In the economy, there are full benefits of the employments and as well as it increases the
living standard and income of citizens. The profits which are earned by the private players
have been shifted to the off shore (Kahan, 2017). The instrument which is rented by the
government, they collect rent and limited number of royalty, severance and other indirect and
direct tax which is made on the CGS extraction. Thus, it can be said that the revenue which is
generated are made contribution for all the nation and the citizen of the nation. There are
some open questions which were asked by the government to the private players that the
royalty which they are paying is high enough to compensate or not.
The biggest problem which is faced during this process is that when the coal steam is
produced, it needs lots of water which includes the injection of different chemical practical
into the water and it pollutes the water. There are major environmental problems that is faced
by the production of coal steam gas, that are as follows:
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It requires large amount of water for that excretion of ground water is done which
affects the level of water under the earth. It decreases the availability of the ground water
which affect the rural and agricultural industries for the water supply. This is very bad factor
for the agricultural people in the Queensland and South Wales where all the coal steam gas is
located (Kelso and Adler, 2017).
Other consequences on the environment of producing the coal steam gas is as the
ordinary water there is also associated water which contain high salt. At the time of
manufacturing the CGS, there is again some chemical added to the water and then when the
process complete, it is being disposed. The biggest danger is that there is release of the
polluted water which supplied to the other person which also includes domestic supply and
cause huge disease (Ferrari and Chartier, 2017). The research from the US have
communicated that this associated water has devastating impact on the surrounding.
The third factor is that the hydro fracturing process is used for the extraction during
CGS mining and this method have cause significant impact on the environmental damage. It
is the unreal stimulation of the CGS which is combination of water, chemical and sand in the
coal seam. It increases the flow of gas and which effect the environment as air pollution.
With these factor, other one is it harm the atmosphere, the carbon emission which is
generated from burning of coal vary from 43% to 87%, which is very large amount, the
federal agency of the Australia have made some policies and laws related to the emission of
the carbon gas and methane which direct impact on the surroundings. It has been estimate that
the production of LNG and CSG have generated 39 million tons of CO2 every year (Ferrari
and Chartier, 2017).
To reduce these problems, Australia's CSG industries are implementing some
Corporate social responsibilities. As in the Australia, they are largest off shore contributor for
the unconventional gas which is increasing day by day. They are contributing towards the
innovative technologies which reduce the use of water while producing the gas. This will lend
towards the greenhouse gas and produce more production related gas which is not composed
of large methane (Teubner, 2017). This will reduce the wrong impact of gas on the life of
people and environment.
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The case study talk about the application of pluralism in the South Wales and how the
power is applied by them as the local governmental council and local communities. As
compare to the other business, large organisation are taking the privilege of pluralism and the
position they are having as the NSW government have purchased the back exploration
licences with that gave industry exits in that area. As seen from the scenario, the gas industry
is going to overtake the coal industry by 2035 with that the government have also surprised to
suspended the Metgasco's licence. This is made because the coal industry are not able to meet
the need of the licence with that they haven't taken the permission from that community in
effective and genuine way. The company are still protested to take permission from the
government and court.
The pluralist theory state that these companies such as gas and coal manufacturing
have successful to enforce the court and government to withdraw the Metgasco organisation.
This show that the gas of the industry take exit from the rivers of NSW so government have
taken back these licence and force the Metgasco to leave the city. It states that the theory have
balance between the individual needs as well as social responsibilities. The citizen of the
country force the government to take back this organisation because they do not pollute the
river of Northern of NSW. Both of the parties labour and liberal support that this organisation
will lead to economic growth. They have supported because this will generate employment
for the country with that income and living standard of the country will enhance and the
economy will grow. Metgasco was in the opposition of the CSG because they want to
establish their organisation in the NSW country. The opposition of the CSG won because
they were more powerful as well as they were having support from the people of the country
and this also state that the Metgasco is going to acquire CSG by 2035 and this is the reason
the opponent have won.
Queens-land is the second largest and third most populated state in the Common
Wealth of Australia. It is situated in the North east of the country which is bordered by the
Northern territory, south Australia's, Wales to the West and New South Australia. It has the
area of 1852642 square kilometres. The population of the Queensland is 4750500. It is the
capitalist and largest city in the state of Brisbane and the third largest state of the Australia. It
was first inhabited by the aboriginal Australia's and Torres Strait Islanders. It is the first
European to land in the Australia. This state was named in the honour of Queen Victoria
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which was signed on the 6th June 1859. And now this day have been celebrated as Queens-
land day and this have been celebrated annually.
CONCLUSION
In the case of Coal steam gas in Australia, the country use the Pluralism power where
the citizen of country right to produce and sell the coal as much as they can, the government
have given them permission to extract coal in order to earn profit.
It can be concluded from the project report that Australia have adopted Pluralist
power, where private player or businesses have right to produce what they want to produce.
The above report states that Australia is producing coal steam gas and they are gradually
growing in this sector and become the largest exporter and enjoying several benefits that is
royalty, profit etc.
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