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Decentralized governance and environmental change: Local institutional moderation of deforestation in Bolivia

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  • Krister Andersson

    (University of Colorado, Boulder)

  • Clark C. Gibson

    (University of California, San Diego)

Abstract

Dozens of countries have decentralized at least part of their natural resource policies over the last two decades. Despite the length of time that these policy experiments have been in force, there is little agreement about their effectiveness. We argue that part of this ambivalence stems from three limitations of extant studies, suggesting that future studies of decentralized natural resource governance should consider a combination of 1) variation in the local institutional context, 2) the fit between the reform and other public policies, and 3) more adequate outcome measures for decentralized resource governance. After developing such an approach, we posit that varying forest conditions depend on the moderating effects that local institutions have on the socioeconomic and biophysical drivers of environmental change. Analyzing data from interviews and remotely sensed images from 30 municipalities in the Bolivian lowlands, we find that the local institutional performance affects unauthorized deforestation directly and indirectly, but detect no effects on either permitted or total deforestation. © 2006 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Suggested Citation

  • Krister Andersson & Clark C. Gibson, 2007. "Decentralized governance and environmental change: Local institutional moderation of deforestation in Bolivia," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(1), pages 99-123.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:26:y:2007:i:1:p:99-123
    DOI: 10.1002/pam.20229
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    2. Maria Alice Moz-Christofoletti & Paula Carvalho Pereda & Wesley Campanharo, 2022. "Does Decentralized and Voluntary Commitment Reduce Deforestation? The Effects of Programa Municípios Verdes," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(1), pages 65-100, May.
    3. Sébastien Desbureaux, 2016. "Common Resources Management and the "Dark Side" of Collective Action: an Impact Evaluation for Madagascar’s Forests," Working Papers 2016.30, FAERE - French Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
    4. Thuy, Truong Dang & Tuan, Vo Quoc & Nam, Pham Khanh, 2021. "Does the devolution of forest management help conserve mangrove in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    5. Nolte, Christoph & Gobbi, Beatriz & le Polain de Waroux, Yann & Piquer-Rodríguez, María & Butsic, Van & Lambin, Eric F., 2017. "Decentralized Land Use Zoning Reduces Large-scale Deforestation in a Major Agricultural Frontier," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 30-40.
    6. Eric A. Coleman, 2009. "Institutional factors affecting biophysical outcomes in forest management," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 122-146.
    7. Adam, Y.O. & Eltayeb, A.M., 2016. "Forestry decentralization and poverty alleviation: A review," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 300-307.
    8. Epstein, Graham, 2017. "Local rulemaking, enforcement and compliance in state-owned forest commons," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 312-321.
    9. Zhu, Zhen & Xu, Zhigang & Shen, Yueqin & Huang, Chenming, 2020. "How forestland size affects household profits from timber harvests: A case-study in China’s Southern collective forest area," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    10. Coleman, Eric A. & Fleischman, Forrest D., 2012. "Comparing Forest Decentralization and Local Institutional Change in Bolivia, Kenya, Mexico, and Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 836-849.
    11. Lin, Ying & Qu, Mei & Liu, Can & Yao, Shunbo, 2020. "Land tenure, logging rights, and tree planting: Empirical evidence from smallholders in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    12. Lara, Carlos Icaza & Pezzini, Mario & Villarreal, Roberto & Garcilazo, Enrique & Davies, Andrew, 2009. "Institutional Reform:Improving the Effectiveness of Policy Delivery," MPRA Paper 16567, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Pailler, Sharon, 2018. "Re-election incentives and deforestation cycles in the Brazilian Amazon," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 345-365.

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