Power Struggle, Dispute and Alliance Over Local Resources: Analyzing ‘Democratic’ Decentralization of Natural Resources through the Lenses of Africa Inland Fisheries

Béné, Christophe; Belal, Emma; Baba, Malloum Ousman; Ovie, S.I.; Raji, A.; Malasha, Isaac; Njaya, Friday; Andi, Mamane Na; Russell, A.J.M.; Neiland, A.

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.05.003

Cited by 155 publications

(164 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In advocating such a principle, however, we reiterate that context is everything and that local-level collusion among political or traditional authority elites can critically undermine the effectiveness of such decentralization (42). The key point here is the value of supporting formal analysis of incentive structures and institutional relationships to help decide on the appropriate level, rather than doctrinaire adoption of a particular decentralization model.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Innovations in capture fisheries are an imperative for nutrition security in the developing world

Hall

Hilborn

Andrew

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

103

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This article examines two strands of discourse on wild capture fisheries; one that focuses on resource sustainability and environmental impacts, another related to food and nutrition security and human well-being. Available data and research show that, for countries most dependent on fish to meet the nutritional requirements of their population, wild capture fisheries remain the dominant supplier. Although, contrary to popular narratives, the sustainability of these fisheries is not always and everywhere in crisis, securing their sustainability is essential and requires considerable effort across a broad spectrum of fishery systems. An impediment to achieving this is that the current research and policy discourses on environmental sustainability of fisheries and food security remain only loosely and superficially linked. Overcoming this requires adoption of a broader sustainability science paradigm to help harness synergies and negotiate tradeoffs between food security, resource conservation, and macroeconomic development goals. The way society chooses to govern fisheries is, however, an ethical choice, not just a technical one, and we recommend adding an ethical dimension to sustainability science as applied to fisheries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…When literacy, empowerment, agency, and roles are weak among key constituencies, the prospects for achieving sound and durable reform are poor. Too often decentralization efforts have foundered because of failure to accept this (42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovations in capture fisheries are an imperative for nutrition security in the developing world

Hall

Hilborn

Andrew

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The objectives of customary and state resource management institutions also may not be aligned, and these differences can present difficulties in forming hybrid institutions for coastal management (Foale et al 2011). Traditional systems may also be inequitable and lack effective mechanisms of downward and horizontal accountability, as research in inland AAS in Sub-Saharan Africa has shown (Béné et al 2009). http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss4/art59/ In building capacity to resolve disputes over tenure and resource management authority, it is often useful to support linkages between parallel institutions.…”

Section: Redistributing Authoritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Governance of Aquatic Agricultural Systems: Analyzing Representation, Power, and Accountability

Ratner¹,

Cohen²,

Barman³

et al. 2013

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Aquatic agricultural systems in developing countries face increasing competition from multiple stakeholders over rights to access and use natural resources, land, water, wetlands, and fisheries, essential to rural livelihoods. A key implication is the need to strengthen governance to enable equitable decision making amidst competition that spans sectors and scales, building capacities for resilience, and for transformations in institutions that perpetuate poverty. In this paper we provide a simple framework to analyze the governance context for aquatic agricultural system development focused on three dimensions: stakeholder representation, distribution of power, and mechanisms of accountability. Case studies from Cambodia, Bangladesh, Malawi/Mozambique, and Solomon Islands illustrate the application of these concepts to fisheries and aquaculture livelihoods in the broader context of intersectoral and cross-scale governance interactions. Comparing these cases, we demonstrate how assessing governance dimensions yields practical insights into opportunities for transforming the institutions that constrain resilience in local livelihoods.

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“…Public policies are framed by different factors: a representation of reality and of the issue they are intended to cope with, in addition to a path dependency to former policy schemes and identified interest groups looking for compromises through specific policies (Sabatier 2007, Tacconi 2007, Béné et al 2009, Fernandez et al 2011). …”

Section: Revealing the Representations Underlying The Household Energmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social-ecological Functions and Vulnerability Framework to Analyze Forest Policy Reforms

Rives¹,

Antona²,

Aubert³

2012

E&S

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ABSTRACT. We explore the impact of forest policy reforms implemented in the early 1990s in Niger in the wake of the severe droughts that affected the Sahel in the 1970s and 1980s. We focus on Sahelian multiple-use forest ecosystems and set out to analyze policy-induced changes in the patterns of interactions between various uses, users, and dry-forest ecosystems, interactions that influence the effective management of rural forests. We put forward the hypothesis that the new forest policy reforms were designed according to a vulnerability diagnosis, highlighting two stressors: droughts and increased demand for firewood. This led to a single-issue policy focused on firewood provision and was implemented through the Household Energy Strategy (HES). The HES established new local management schemes for "rural forests" through "rural firewood markets" (RMs) to regulate firewood harvesting and trade. We studied one of the first rural forests to become an RM in Niger in 1993. We used the concept of social-ecological functions as processes emerging from the interactions between social and ecological systems (SES). We identified sixteen SES functions and specifically analyzed the changes in three of them, whether they were targeted by the policy reform (firewood provision) or not (gum provision and livestock production). The changes generated by the creation of the RM have had different impacts on SES functions, as well as on the social and ecological components that contribute to these functions, because of their interaction with firewood provision. Mutual benefits and competitions between SES functions have been identified. The analysis of mutual benefits and competitions reflects the ambiguous role of the policy reform on rural forest ecosystems in Niger. Our results show that the patterns of interactions between key SES functions have played a more important role in the SES trajectory than any single resource such as timber or firewood. This provides insight into strengthening potential feedback between rural forest functions for improved resilience and livelihoods.

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Power Struggle, Dispute and Alliance Over Local Resources: Analyzing ‘Democratic’ Decentralization of Natural Resources through the Lenses of Africa Inland Fisheries

Cited by 155 publications

References 51 publications

Innovations in capture fisheries are an imperative for nutrition security in the developing world

Innovations in capture fisheries are an imperative for nutrition security in the developing world

Governance of Aquatic Agricultural Systems: Analyzing Representation, Power, and Accountability

Social-ecological Functions and Vulnerability Framework to Analyze Forest Policy Reforms

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