Private Rule-Making and the Politics of Accountability: Analyzing Global Forest Governance

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sander Chan ◽  
Philipp Pattberg
Keyword(s):  
Power Sharing ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Forest Governance ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Global Environmental Politics ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Private Certification ◽  
Rule Making ◽  
Global Forest Governance

Private rule-making features prominently on the research agenda of International Relations scholars today. The field of forest politics in particular has proven to be a lively arena for experimenting with novel policies (for example, third party certification and labeling) and procedures (for example, power-sharing in stakeholder bodies). This article focuses on the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), one of the earliest and most institutionalized private certification schemes, in order to assess the role and relevance of accountability politics for global forest governance. Specifically, we ask three related questions: first, what role did a deepening accountability crisis and the resulting reconstruction of accountability play in the formation of the FSC? Second, how is accountability organized within the FSC? And finally, what accountability outcomes emerge as a result of the FSC's policies and operations? The article closes with some reflections about the limitations of private-based accountability in global environmental politics.

Transparency in Nonstate Certification: Consequences for Accountability and Legitimacy

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Auld ◽  
Lars H. Gulbrandsen
Keyword(s):  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Stakeholder Consultation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Certification Programs ◽  
Marine Stewardship Council ◽  
Production Practices ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Rule Making

Nonstate certification programs have formed in the past 20 years to address social and environmental problems associated with production practices in several economic sectors. These programs embody the idea that information disclosure can be a tool for NGOs, investors, governments, and consumers to support high performers and hence, advocates hope, place upward pressure on sector-wide practices. Many unanswered questions remain, however, about information disclosure's practices and outcomes. We compare the use of procedural and outcome transparency in the rule-making and auditing processes of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). We highlight key differences in how transparency relates to accountability and legitimacy of the programs. The MSC uses transparency and stakeholder consultation instrumentally, whereas the FSC treats them as ends unto themselves. This underscores the importance of considering transparency alongside other governance aspects, such as who the eligible stakeholders are and who gets decision-making power.

scholarly journals Procedural Factors Influencing Forest Certification Audits: An Empirical Study in Romania

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aureliu-Florin Hălălișan ◽  
Bogdan Popa ◽  
Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria ◽  
Olivier Boiral ◽  
Germán Arana-Landín ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Influence ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Process Outcomes ◽  
Environmentally Sensitive ◽  
External Audits ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Audit Reports ◽  
Audit Team

In the recent decades, forest certification based on third-party external audits has gained momentum. This type of certification has been developed as a monitoring tool aimed at improving governance in corporate environmental management and differentiating products in the increasing environmentally sensitive markets. Although the scholarly literature has extensively analyzed the adoption and dissemination of forest certification, the findings of the external audits and certification practices remain under researched. On the basis of the analysis of 105 audit reports issued by accredited third-party certification bodies in Romania, this article sheds light on procedural factors that have significant influence on the characteristics of non-conformities (NCs) identified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) third party audits. Our research offers empirical evidence that certain procedural factors such as the type of assessment, auditing days, number of auditors, or the presence of foreign members in an audit team have a significant influence on the auditing process outcomes: number and grade of non-conformities, standard references, or methods of NC detection. The study opens interesting new lines of research—the influence of procedural or other types of contextual factors on certification outcomes—and provides indications on the effectiveness of the certification procedures and guidelines in certification process quality assurance.

scholarly journals Voluntary Sustainability Certification and State Regulations: Paths to Promote the Conservation of Ecosystem Services? Experiences in Indonesia

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 503
Author(s):  
Intan Kurniati Ningsih ◽  
Verina Ingram ◽  
Sini Savilaakso
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
State Regulations ◽  
Certification Standard ◽  
Voluntary Certification ◽  
Market Driven ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
The Impact

The Forest Stewardship Council initiated a Forest Certification for Ecosystem Services (ForCES) project from 2011 to 2017 to improve and promote sustainable forest management addressing a range of ecosystem services. Three sites in Indonesia were included in the pilot. Whilst the development of the certification standard was largely the result of a partnership between the certification standard organization, civil society and research organizations, implementation and monitoring of the impact of this sustainability standard will entail interactions with state regulations. This study examined how voluntary certification, other market-based approaches and state regulations concerning ecosystem services in Indonesia interplay, particularly in the agenda setting and negotiation stage. Using the conceptual lenses of transition theory and state and non-state market-based governance, interrelationships between ecosystem services certification and regulations were found to be complementary and antagonistic. The majority of interrelations were complementary and supporting. However, antagonism exists where regulations do not address multiple land uses and when there are contradictions in how state regulations define ecosystem services. There was limited state involvement in developing the ecosystem services certification standard, with no substitution between the voluntary standard and regulations occurring. To scale and transition this innovatory standard from a niche to a sociotechnical regime level, it is recommended that market-driven governance arrangements at farm, forest concession and landscape level are developed in collaboration with national and local governments. Collaboration can create synergies to incentivize the acceptance, adoption and effectiveness of non-state market driven instruments to positively enhance the conservation of ecosystem services.

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