Analysing Institutional Set-up of Forest Management (original) (raw)
Related papers
International Forestry Review, 2013
In this paper, we argue that the conventional study of conflict in common-pool resource (CPR) governance settings should look for more explicit ways to incorporate rules and rule-making procedures into their models. New Institutionalism has shown that individual preferences cannot be amalgamated into a coherent group preference in any simple, straightforward fashion. Efforts to articulate group preferences depend on the institutions chosen to reach compromise between individual opinions; these institutional arrangements can always be questioned and challenged. Rather than claiming that conflict must be solved at all costs, we argue that conflict, under some circumstances, may be necessary for the eventual emergence of a more stable set of institutions that are capable of managing conflicts and differences in opinion in a ways that are nondestructive for CPR use. We propose a research agenda that includes a focus on institutions and their role in both causing and mitigating conflict. No conflict / Successful CPR mgmt (n=182) Conflict / Unsuccessful CPR mgmt (n=33) Conflict / Successful CPR mgmt (n=91)
Forest Policy and Economics, 2011
Neo-institutional contributions to the study of human–environment interactions have made tremendous headway within the last several decades. Although the different strands of institutionalism offer distinct ontological pathways for understanding the dynamics of change in social–ecological systems, none can independently account for the inherent complexity of such transformations. Using the struggle to achieve sustainable forest resource governance within the Canadian context as a backdrop for further investigation, this paper provides a succinct overview of the strengths and limitations of neo-institutional theories applicable to the study of change in public property regimes. We argue that in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of change, analysts require a meta-theoretical approach that not only provides complementary insights into how rules change over time, but also pushes the boundaries of conventional analysis to consider the constitutional arrangements that structure collective action and the subsequent performance of forest governance structures.►Our capacity to explicate change in forest governance institutions is limited. ►The nested hierarchy of rules in centralized regimes can undermine change. ►Neo-institutional accounts of institutional change offer useful but partial insights. ►A meta-theoretical approach is needed to assess social–ecological interactions. ►Constitutional choices ultimately frame the long term performance of such systems.
In this paper, we argue that the conventional study of conflict in common-pool resource (CPR) governance settings should look for more explicit ways to incorporate rules and rule-making procedures into their models. New Institutionalism has shown that individual preferences cannot be amalgamated into a coherent group preference in any simple, straightforward fashion. Efforts to articulate group preferences depend on the institutions chosen to reach compromise between individual opinions; these institutional arrangements can always be questioned and challenged. Rather than claiming that conflict must be solved at all costs, we argue that conflict, under some circumstances, may be necessary for the eventual emergence of a more stable set of institutions that are capable of managing conflicts and differences in opinion in a ways that are nondestructive for CPR use. We propose a research agenda that includes a focus on institutions and their role in both causing and mitigating conflict. No conflict / Successful CPR mgmt (n=182) Conflict / Unsuccessful CPR mgmt (n=33) Conflict / Successful CPR mgmt (n=91)
In search of appropriate institutions for forest management
There is a variety of forest management institutions ranging from state management to community and private management. This article attempts to identify the conditions under which one institution outperforms the others in the efficiency of forest management based on a review of the literature, empirical evidence on the dominant forest management institutions, and theoretical arguments. In conclusion, we argue that the community management system performs best for non-timber forests, whereas a mixed management system, in which forest protection is carried out communally and tree management is carried out individually, is likely to work best for timber forests.
Institutional Development in the Face of Complexity: Developing Rules for Managing Forest Resources
Human Ecology, 2004
The ability to develop institutions is constrained by human capacity to cope with complexity. But complexity is multidimensional and it is not clear which forms of complexity present the greatest challenges for institutional development. In the context of natural resources, the predictability of resource availability affects expectations that an individual or group will be able to capture the benefits of management. In addition, incomplete understanding of cause-and-effect relationships creates uncertainty about the consequences of alternative management options. These features influence calculations about resource management. The importance of resource complexity relative to various social, political, and institutional factors known to influence collective choice remains an open question. We evaluate the relative importance of several forms of resource complexity and characteristics of resource users for the development of rules for management for forest products in Indiana.
Institutional Analysis of Dependency on Forest Resources
Economic & Political Weekly, 2023
The dynamics between formal and informal players is essential to understand local dependence on forest resources and the effects of institutional arrangements on conservation and conflict. A study of three villages at the Navegaon National Park, Maharashtra was undertaken to analyse these dynamics following an ethnomethodological approach. The impact of institutional dynamics on resource dependency and conflict is explored through the implementation of forest conservation programmes, interactions between formal and informal players and within village communities, impacts of displacement threats, migration and resource restrictions on informal players, redesign of religious institutions, and human–wildlife conflict.
Sustainability: Science Practice and Policy, 2006
This paper analyzes how local institutional arrangements shape outcomes in the increasingly decentralized policy regimes of the non-industrialized world. The goal is to evaluate local institutional strategies associated with effective forest governance. I use the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to study the institutional conditions conducive to effective decentralized forest governance and how these relate to sustainability. The IAD-guided analysis allows me to formulate a series of testable hypotheses about which institutional factors influence the likelihood for successful governance outcomes in a decentralized context. I then test the hypotheses using recent empirical data from forestry-sector activities in 32 randomly selected municipal governments in Bolivia. Preliminary results suggest that local governance systems are more successful when the system's governance actors enjoy favorable conditions for information exchange and learning.
Environmental Policy and Law, 2020
Their reports did not contain direct statements of policy but in most cases clearly indicated the lines along which they considered work should proceed. Between 1902 and 1908, forestry activities were directed to the reservation of existing forests and introduction of exotic species to replace imports (Dyson, 1964; Logie and Jones). The Forests of East Africa, by D.E. Hutchins, was published in 1909 (Troup). It did not contain a precise statement of policy, but guided work by the Forest Department for many years. The report advocated for selection felling, regulated to produce natural reproduction, on a 20-year felling cycle, with some cultivation below seed trees where necessary. At that time, the department recognised success with some species. This, coupled with the low establishment costs for plantations, has meant that Kenya has practised the "Taungya" system (now known as the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme) since 1910 (Kagombe and Gitonga, 2005). Policy direction on progressive reservation of forests and conservation of forest resources continued until the Second World War when demand for timber resulted in greatly increased cutting and disrupted development work once more. A Forestry subcommittee was formed as part of the Development Committee set up by the Kenya Government to consider aspects of development in the country. It was given the task of considering the objective of forest policy at the end of the Second World War. The sub-committee's report recommended planting 6,000 acres per annum of exotic softwoods, in addition to reservation of protection forests and catchments (Mugo et al.). This report was revised in 1968 (Sessional paper no.1). It directed the Department's work until White Paper no. 85 was published. Since then the country has had several attempts to develop a forest policy, the latest being a draft policy of 2015 (Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, 2015). Methodology Study Site The study was undertaken in 11 out of the 47 counties: