Two Sides of the Same Coin: Formal and Informal Institutional Synergy in a Case Study of Wildlife Governance in Ghana |
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| Authors: | Emmanuel Yeboah-Assiamah Kobus Muller Kwame Ameyaw Domfeh |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Accra-Legon, Ghana;2. Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;3. School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa;4. yimmanuel@yahoo.com;6. School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa;7. Department of Public Administration &8. Health Services Management, University of Ghana Business School, Accra-Legon, Ghana |
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| Abstract: | AbstractThere has been the call to forge a synergistic relationship between local ecological knowledge and formal institutions in the governance of natural resources. How do informal institutions complement the efforts of formal state regulation of natural resources? How does this complementation foster a regularized human–wildlife interaction? Adopting an ethnographic design, this study assesses the role of institutional complementation in natural resource governance using the case of Boabeng–Fiema Monkey Sanctuary (BFMS) in Ghana, West Africa. We purposively selected 33 informants relevant to the BFMS governance process. The study observes that the synergy between formal and informal institutions strengthens wildlife protection in BFMS and the surrounding villages. The usefulness of informal rules is enhanced if appropriately complemented with a formal institutional arrangement. Over time, it becomes necessary for informal rules to grow in dynamism to depict the principles of collaboration, inclusivity, and benefit arrangements. |
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| Keywords: | Africa complementation enforcement informal institutions natural resources wildlife governance |
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