Repercussions of institutional governance changes on communication practices in the Afar National Regional State,Ethiopia

Formal and informal institutions guide and shape communities and communication practices worldwide. Colonization, modernization and political transformation processes changed and questioned the role and relevance of informal institutions and strengthened the position of formal institutions. This paper looks at institutional governance transitions and the increasing presence of formal as opposed to informal clan based practices in the pastoralist lowlands of the Afar Region, Ethiopia, by analysing its impact on communication practices. Afar is governed by numerous multi‐scale institutions; a complex network of governmental and traditional, formal and informal bodies at different scales. The region witnessed the devaluation of indigenous and traditional customs, which altered how and with whom pastoralists and agro‐pastoralists communicate. The paper's case study shows that although residents now report their concerns to formal institutional representatives, traditional institutions are still functional. This change allows females to take a more active role in reporting concerns and communicating with authority figures. However, spatial disadvantages are present in this vast and sparsely populated region as those based further away from government representatives are disadvantaged. The relevance for a clear understanding of communication methods on the ground is stressed, in particular for implementing and disseminating programs and policies in this aid‐dependent area.     

Legitimacy of Different Knowledge Types in Natural Resource Governance and Their Functions in Inter-Institutional Gaps

Abstract

This study expands the Inter-Institutional Gaps (IIGs) framework to conceptualize the legitimacy associated with different types of ecological knowledge (e.g., scientific, traditional and local) used in natural resource governance. We draw on primary qualitative data, and document analysis to examine a case of inland fisheries management in the north-eastern floodplain of Bangladesh. We posit that the pragmatic, moral, cognitive, and regulative legitimacy for different types of ecological knowledge are repeatedly reevaluated by rule-makers and resource users in the process of rule-devising. Results show that inter-institutional gaps may be perpetuated when formal rules do not sufficiently consider traditional and local ecological knowledge. While it is widely proposed that systematically incorporating different knowledge types can better address local-national policy problems, this study underscores that the source of legitimacies for different knowledge types often differs across formal and informal institutional actors. Recognizing the differences is critical to fishers’ resource management.     

Developing Governance Principles for Public Natural Resources

Wildlife governance principles (WGPs) identify desirable governance characteristics for wildlife conservation in the United States (US). The types of institutional, ecological, and socio-cultural challenges that WGPs are designed to address also affect governance of public natural resources other than wildlife and in places other than the US. This raises the possibility that a similar set of governance principles might help natural resource professionals working in other resource contexts address the particular challenges they face. We describe the process by which we developed WGPs and offer seven practically oriented questions to help natural resource professionals ascertain whether a similar set of principles could improve governance in their context. In some contexts, minor modification of WGPs might be appropriate; in others, the process by which we developed WGPs could serve as a blueprint for formulating appropriate principles.     

遗产地农村社区参与旅游发展的制度嵌入性——丹霞山瑶塘村与断石村比较研究

基于制度嵌入性理论,采用质性研究方法,采取主位的研究立场,揭示正式制度与非正式制度对农村社区参与旅游发展的约束与影响。研究发现：遗产地农村社区参与旅游发展是一个制度约束下的理性行动过程,同时嵌入在多层正式制度和非正式制度中;不同农村社区在参与旅游发展过程中,由于制度嵌入的差异,导致相异的行动决策和发展结果,社区内部非正式制度嵌入的差异是主要影响因素;当社区内部非正式制度脱嵌时,外部正式制度的有效嵌入是协调遗产地与社区发展的关键因素。研究认为,制度嵌入性范式可以深入地解释不同农村社区参与旅游发展的差异性,为中国农村社区参与旅游发展的增权行动、制度设计和监督管理提供有益参考。     

Pathways for Participatory Water Governance in Ashaiman,Ghana: Learning from Institutional Bricolage and Hydrosocial Perspectives

Coupling a hydrosocial perspective with institutional bricolage, this research considers possibilities for participatory water governance in Ashaiman, a peri-urban settlement of Accra, Ghana. We explore three questions: (1) How do people in Ashaiman evoke ideas or experiences of water in general and water governance in particular? (2) What possibilities currently exist for engaging the community in key water-related decisions? (3) What possibilities exist for enhanced participatory water governance in this context, including potential for and interest in new institutions and engagement processes? Results of qualitative interviews and semistructured observation suggest that a siloed, water-centric approach inadequately captures everyday realities of water as hydrosocial and of existing institutions in Ashaiman. In contrast to “modern water,” we propose that water issues may be more meaningfully addressed as bundled with social welfare. Potential implications and alternative ways of understanding socio-institutional arrangements for participatory water governance are explored.     

Pāwehe Ke Kai a‘o Hā‘ena: Creating State Law based on Customary Indigenous Norms of Coastal Management

Much research has demonstrated the effectiveness of customary indigenous management at conserving natural resources. However, little is known about integrating customary management with state-level institutions. We present a model case study of collaborative rulemaking based upon customary norms for interacting with resources. We explore the efforts of one Hawai‘i community to create formal state law based on customary norms to understand: (1) What is needed to integrate customary norms into state law? (2) What factors influence this integration? (3) What lessons emerge for similar efforts in other locations? First, we find that implementing some norms of customary management requires fundamental changes to state-level institutions. Second, communities can overcome institutional constraints by identifying substitutes for those customary norms that cannot be implemented directly. And third, formal regulation must be supplemented with educational and social programs. Based on these findings, we offer suggestions to integrate customary and state management in other geographies.     

Collaborative Governance and Conflict Management: Lessons Learned and Good Practices from a Case Study in the Amazon Basin

Abstract

Given the linkages between natural resources and social conflicts, evidence increasingly shows that successful natural resource management requires conflict mitigation and prevention. However, there may be a gap in practice between knowing what processes and tools need to be used to manage conservation conflicts and how to actually implement them. We present learning from a practice-based case study of conflict management in the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon that aimed to develop natural resource governance institutions and build stakeholder capacity, including of indigenous groups, to navigate existing conflict resolution mechanisms. Through applying good practices in conservation conflict management and collaborative governance, we generated important lessons on the practical considerations involved in collaborative conservation. These lessons, while specific to our case, could be applied to a variety of protected areas facing complex social-ecological systems dynamics and wicked problems.     

Governance and territoriality in Norwegian fisheries

This paper focuses on the informal and institutional governance structures that are embedded within local production systems in Norwegian fisheries. Important issues concern the regional distribution of fish landings resulting from the tendency in some regional production systems to use large fishing vessels, and the negative consequences of this for peripheral regions and inshore fisheries. The influence of powerful central production systems is considered in terms of territorial dominance over fishing grounds.     

Critiquing environmental management in indigenous Australia: two case studies

The notion of community participation in sustainable environmental management is well documented, but applications between environmental scientists and indigenous Australians are less known. Many indigenous Australians are socially and culturally marginalized, and agencies debate over appropriate designs for collaborative, cross-cultural environmental programmes that will alleviate marginalization. This paper presents two case studies from northern Australia, where indigenous people participated in an environmental project exploring the commercial potential of the local sea cucumber resource. A framework with principles of participation and knowledge exchange guided project implementation at both localities. Participant observation data that related to these principles suggests that abuse of power imbalances and exploitation (institutional racism) may be more easily disguised within formalized governance structures than in the informal networks and structures that can be supported through less formalized representation. Linking informal and formal governance structures and canvassing a range of governance modalities will ultimately connect the human behaviours and governance structures needed to progress indigenous environmental management in Australia.     

欧盟跨边界合作研究对粤港澳大湾区协同治理的启示

经济全球化与区域一体化是21世纪区域合作的核心动因,跨边界合作议题备受学界关注。欧盟在区域一体化实践方面有丰硕的理论与实证成果,其发展经验为粤港澳大湾区协同治理提供了指引,二者均涉及到跨制度、边界的协作和权力的尺度重组。文章基于Web of Science（WOS）数据库和中国知网（CNKI）,运用Citespace文献计量方法,系统分析了1993—2020年欧盟跨边界合作研究动向。结果发现：1）欧盟跨边界合作研究主要集中在边界区域互动、跨边界合作模式、跨边界合作领域、跨边界合作障碍等方面;2）欧盟跨边界合作的发展得益于国家之间政治上的互动互信、正式与非正式的制度协调和合作范围的扩大与深入,然而在双边差异、跨边界可达性、移民和安全等方面仍存在不足;3）欧盟跨边界合作的实践经验对粤港澳大湾区协同治理具有重要启示作用,增强价值与文化认同,创设特殊制度安排,构建多尺度合作空间与多维度治理体系是实现大湾区协同发展的核心支撑。     

社会资本是否促进污染型企业退出?——来自中国城市的微观数据

污染型企业的区位选择、转移及其驱动机制研究是环境经济地理研究的热点话题。现有文献从正式制度的角度深入探讨了地方政府的环境规制对污染型企业进入退出、空间分布和产业转移的影响,相对忽视了地方社会资本如公众环保意识、企业环境责任等非正式制度因素对污染型企业区位选择的作用机制。本文基于2011年中国工业企业数据、中国综合社会调查（CGSS）以及城市统计年鉴等数据资料,从社会规范、社会网络和社会信任三方面构建中国城市尺度社会资本,利用二元logit回归模型探讨了社会资本与环境规制对中国污染型企业退出的影响。研究发现：① 环境规制对污染型企业退出的促进作用存在门槛效应。② 公众环保意识、企业环境责任作为社会规范因素,对污染型企业生存构成了外部非正式环境压力;但社会信任和社会网络并没有直接促进污染型企业退出。③ 社会资本在强环境规制地区中的交互作用显著,能够形成正式制度与非正式制度的良好互动。本研究从社会资本这一非正式制度的视角理解污染型企业退出的影响机制,不仅是对正式制度层面环境规制研究的补充,同时也对污染型企业的区位选择和地方政府环境治理政策的制定具有借鉴意义。     

The autonomy of foreign subsidiaries. An analysis of headquartersubsidiary relations

Gjellan, A. 1975. Protection of bird wildlife. Norsk geogr. Tidsskr. 29, 21–38.

Plans for establishing bird wildlife nature reserves and areas where bird wildlife can be protected are discussed. Areas already established for this purpose are mentioned, as are other important areas worthy of protection. An attempt is made to evaluate the criteria for the selection of such important areas in the future.

A classification is made of the areas in question, such as wetlands and other biotope types in forest and mountain localities. The main criterion is that the area should satisfy at least one important life function, such as breeding, foraging and resting (primarily of migrating birds), moulting, and wintering. The man-made threat towards the maintenance of these natural areas for the preservation of bird wildlife must be controlled, and the resources available for conservation must be well argued by public and private nature conservation organizations and institutions.     

From Community Forest Management to Polycentric Governance: Assessing Evidence from the Bottom Up

Decentralization of governance is an emerging trend in many natural resource sectors in both developed and developing countries. Despite the normative agenda of community-based natural resource management for social and ecological outcomes, a shift to multilevel or polycentric theorizing is warranted. Polycentric governance recognizes the importance of cross-scale interactions, as well as the horizontal and vertical institutional linkages of authority, networks, and markets in which community institutions are embedded. Based on qualitative community forestry research in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, this article explores the themes of livelihood and local economy, collaborative forest planning and participation, and environmental governance. Bottom-up empirical evidence suggests that viewing community forestry through a polycentric governance network is necessary for theorizing complex cross-scale dynamics. Incentivizing policies that encourage the development of polycentric systems for natural resource governance is important for maintaining local benefits, while increasing adaptive capacity to deal with complex social–ecological challenges.     

Understanding Causes of Conflict Over Common Village Pastures – A Comparative Analysis of Property Rights in Azerbaijan and Georgia

Abstract

Conflicts in the management of renewable natural resources are situations in which actors have diverging opinions on issues of natural resource use. In the literature, among the causal factors for conflicts discussed are resource wealth or scarcity and the role of governance. The evidence, however, is contradictory. In order to analyze the role of governance in more detail, we propose a combined analysis of property rights and conflicts. In this way, an improved understanding of the causes of local conflicts over renewable natural resources can be achieved. We use comparative case study data from pasture management in the Caucasus region, first, to classify conflicts according to the bundle of property rights approach and, second, to explore how the causal factors resource scarcity and current governance contribute to those conflicts.     

The Geography of Personal Name Forms

The geographic distribution of formal and informal names is considered. Given names are variable and bearers may identify themselves with one name form or another (e.g., William, Will, Billy, Bill, W. T., “Skip”). The form of name chosen by state legislators was classified as formal or informal and the proportions of each were plotted by state. Three regions are identified by their relative use of name formality: the Northeast, where formal names are the rule, the South, centering on Arkansas, where informal names are common, and the West, also characterized by informal names. The West is divided between the Mountain and Pacific states, with large numbers of informal names and the states which they surround, which tend toward formal names. Some states, especially those of the Midwest, do not participate in this process. Indiana and South Carolina are exceptions to the general patterns. Informal names presume to create solidarity between legislators and voters. The South and West are apparently less formal than the Northeast in general, also in name usage.     

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: A Bibliometric Analysis of Environmental and Resource Sociology

Abstract

Environmental sociology and the sociology of natural resources have become two established research areas in the United States with distinct institutional origins, research themes, and theoretical roots, as well as associated professional networks, journals, and conferences. Existing discussions of the relationships between the two subdisciplines are largely based on personal reflections and exploratory analyses. However, there is still not a clear understanding of the overall picture of interdisciplinary sociological research on human–nature interactions. In this study we conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 8027 articles published in 30 selected academic journals during 1985–2017. Findings of this research provide a more complete view of the intellectual landscape of environmental and resource sociology. Overall, the study produces an empirically-based characterization of environmental sociology and the sociology of natural resources in terms of coauthorship and citation networks, and highlights the need for more sustained synthesis across different knowledge domains.     

Accessing Flexibility: A Historical Institutional Analysis of Water Use for Oil and Gas Development in Colorado

US Mountain West Water access and allocation institutions have a history of adapting policy and practice to increase flexibility for diverse water uses. We examine how flexible access has developed over time and space by operationalizing the historical institutional (HI) theoretical and methodological framework. We trace historical water access for oil and gas (OG) development in Colorado, working from contemporary water right data to examine historical critical events, policies, and political contexts. OG water use has iteratively shaped water governance institutions in the top OG producing regions of Colorado, Weld, and Garfield Counties. The analysis suggests that to more accurately capture institutional change and continuity in resource allocation systems, an analysis of informal institutions is an essential theoretical contribution to the HI framework. While increased flexibility makes multiple uses easier, policies favor the most economically lucrative beneficial uses and generate issues of transparency, an important consideration for the public’s resource. Future practices of flexibility are contingent on market structures and institutional access mechanisms shaped during previous government policy processes, illuminating the value of the HI framework to inform future water policy.     

改革开放以来珠江三角洲基层非正规土地利用实践与制度创新——以东莞市长安镇为例

21世纪初,在对非正规经济研究的二元主义、新马克思主义和新自由主义理论解释基础上,出现了批判管治主义理论,重点关注国家权力与制度对非正规性产生的影响。基于该视角,以东莞市长安镇为例,运用质性研究方法,分析了改革开放先行区的珠江三角洲,其基层非正规土地利用实践的产生、表现及其与制度创新之间的关系。研究发现：改革开放以来,在国家土地制度缺失、正规土地管理制度颁布和实施阶段,以及省级政府主导的土地制度创新阶段,非正规土地利用实践经历了被政府鼓励、包容和默许及正规化的过程。部分非正规土地利用实践成为制度创新的根源。土地制度的演变经历了由乡村基层“自下而上”式向地方政府“自上而下”式推动的转变,在演变过程中具有非正规性特征,并服务于各个时期的城市与经济发展需求。未来的研究中,应更多的关注“自下而上”的制度创新和地方实践。     

Towards good governance of urban greening: insights from four initiatives in Melbourne,Australia

ABSTRACT

Urban greening can enhance sustainability and liveability, through conserving biodiversity, mitigating urban heat and enhancing people’s health and wellbeing. However, urban greening is complex, as it occurs in unique ecological settings, with social, cultural and economic factors shaping the forms it takes. This raises questions about the governance of urban greening, including what counts as ‘good governance’. In this paper, we first outline principles of good governance drawn from the natural resource management context. We then present four urban greening initiatives from Melbourne Australia representing different scales, land tenures and organising structures. Following this, we analyse how governance of the four initiatives addresses good governance principles. Our analysis shows that there are diverse ways in which urban greening can be practiced and governed. The importance of more ‘informal’ initiatives should not be discounted relative to formalised initiatives, as a spectrum of approaches can be seen as strength. Further, in determining what constitutes good governance, the standards against which initiatives are assessed should be tailored to their specific circumstances, and consider impacts to the environment itself. These findings point to good urban greening governance being both situated and principled.     

The Dramas of the Marine Extractive Reserve Managers in Brazil: Navigating through Multiple Institutions

Abstract

In this paper, we describe and analyze the co-management institutional framework at 21 Brazilian Marine Extractive Reserves (MERs) and present the dramas of its implementation from the local manager’s perspective. We categorized the governance instruments of MERs into (i) instruments for land/sea tenure and beneficiaries’ recognition, (ii) territorial use planning, (iii) institutional arenas for discussion and deliberation, as well as (iv) public policies. Although the legal arrangements of these protected areas address fundamental dimensions of governance, we present the challenges of its implementation based on the voice of local managers. The managers are the bridge between the central government and communities, dealing with the implementation of the institutional framework in a reality of multi-level and multi-scale drama: from local to national dilemmas, from organizational to structural ones. We explore these dramas and highlight the institutional dilemmas based on the paradoxes between legalism and social emancipation.