The interplay of global governance with domestic and local access: insights from the FLEGT VPAs in Ghana and Indonesia
Date
2019
Authors
McDermott, Constance L.
Hirons, Mark
Setyowati, Abidah
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
This paper examines the EU FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) with Ghana and Indonesia to explore how scale and sources of authority shape access to forest resources. VPAs require the development of internationally recognized legality verification systems to eliminate trade in illegal wood, and thus aim to reinforce state law while opening it to broader national and international scrutiny. Analysis of relevant documents, combined with over 70 stakeholder interviews at local to international scales, reveal significant differences between Ghana and Indonesia in the design of their verification systems, and the attention given to local and domestic forest access. Yet in both countries, a strong focus on legality verification, coupled with a lack of key governance reforms, favours international trade over local access. This calls into question the EU’s growing legality agenda and highlights the need for alternative, more equitable, approaches to reforming domestic resource governance.
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Source
Society and Natural Resources
Type
Journal article
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DOI
10.1080/08941920.2018.1544679
Restricted until
2037-12-31