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Seeing the trees for the forest: Adoption dynamics of the Forest Stewardship Council

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  • Charline Depoorter
  • Axel Marx

Abstract

The integration of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) into public policy (i.e., their institutionalization) is generally considered a driver for their adoption. However, although the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a leading VSS in forest governance, has been increasingly institutionalized, its adoption has been stagnating recently. To understand what drives this stagnation, we analyze the adoption of FSC certification globally and at the country level over a 20‐year period. We show that the global stagnation in FSC adoption hides distinct adoption dynamics at country level. We highlight three types of country‐level adoption dynamics: stagnation, growth, and decline. Based on selected descriptive country case studies, we explore factors driving these dynamics, with a focus on the role of governments and competition with other VSS.

Suggested Citation

  • Charline Depoorter & Axel Marx, 2022. "Seeing the trees for the forest: Adoption dynamics of the Forest Stewardship Council," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1788-1806, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:apecpp:v:44:y:2022:i:4:p:1788-1806
    DOI: 10.1002/aepp.13263
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Axel Marx & Dieter Cuypers, 2010. "Forest certification as a global environmental governance tool: What is the macro‐effectiveness of the Forest Stewardship Council?," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 4(4), pages 408-434, December.
    2. José Carlos Marques & Burkard Eberlein, 2021. "Grounding transnational business governance: A political‐strategic perspective on government responses in the Global South," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(4), pages 1209-1229, October.
    3. Donald Schepers, 2010. "Challenges to Legitimacy at the Forest Stewardship Council," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(2), pages 279-290, March.
    4. Oya, Carlos & Schaefer, Florian & Skalidou, Dafni, 2018. "The effectiveness of agricultural certification in developing countries: A systematic review," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 282-312.
    5. Axel Marx, 2018. "Integrating Voluntary Sustainability Standards in Trade Policy: The Case of the European Union’s GSP Scheme," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-22, November.
    6. Lars H. Gulbrandsen, 2004. "Overlapping Public and Private Governance: Can Forest Certification Fill the Gaps in the Global Forest Regime?," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 4(2), pages 75-99, May.
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