This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualizati... more This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’ interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts). We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such ...
A key issue in the context of increasing large-scale land acquisitions in developing countries is... more A key issue in the context of increasing large-scale land acquisitions in developing countries is how poor populations can prevent their land rights being encroached upon by more powerful actors. To date, the majority of policy recommendations have been directed towards the legal recognition and formalization of land rights in order to safeguard local and historical land rights holders, as
Until now, most policy recommendations put forward to deal with the possible negative impacts of ... more Until now, most policy recommendations put forward to deal with the possible negative impacts of large-scale land acquisitions are either directed towards the legal recognition and formalization of land rights in order to secure the rights of historical land holders or the design and implementation of “voluntary” guidelines and codes of conduct that promote positive development outcomes of large-scale land investments. This paper argues that these types of recommendations tend to depoliticize the debate around access to land and natural resources, whether at local, national and international levels. This paper looks to bring this political dimension back by proposing an analytical framework in line with the legal pluralist tradition. From a legal pluralistic analysis of the process of land deals in Ethiopia, this paper finds out that socio-cultural identity and power structures, rather than market and regulatory failure alone, play a fundamental role in redirecting negotiations and ...
Market-based conservation instruments, such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), have become... more Market-based conservation instruments, such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), have become a dominant paradigm for environmental policies. Despite their broad endorsement, the implementation of PES schemes often rests on deep-seated power asymmetries and, therefore, risks reproducing existing inequalities. Thus, examination of PES should include how these schemes are constructed and negotiated between different actors, explicitly recognising their varying social positions, value frameworks and conflicting or collaborative relations. In this article we present a ‘PES simulation game’ as an alternative methodology to enhance understanding of complex negotiations between diverse actors involved in Ecosystem Services (ES) governance. The game mimics historical processes of agrarian change and social differentiation, simulates a range of ES governance interventions, and creates space for participants to collectively reflect on the motivational and socio-political dynamics triggered by the interventions. We discuss some of the main game dynamics as well as reflections generated by the game while examining a PES intervention in the Nicaraguan agricultural frontier. We illustrate the game’s potential for improving understanding of farmers’ constraints in decision-making processes and of the ways in which patron-client relationships within divergent value systems interact with specific ES governance interventions.
This article offers a conceptual-methodological approach to assess how new institutional framewor... more This article offers a conceptual-methodological approach to assess how new institutional frameworks, such as PES (Payments for Ecosystem Services), interact with motivations for land use change at the individual and collective level. Increasing empirical evidence suggests that the effects of payments on inducing long-term behavioural change can vary substantially, depending on how they are integrated in territorial dynamics. We show how individual motivation is the result of collective societal pathways that generate particular opportunities and constraints, as well as guiding ideas and habits that ‘work’ within these pathways. Through an illustrative case study at the agricultural frontier in Nicaragua, we show how an ‘agrarian system’ approach offers a more nuanced understanding of the dynamic interactions on the ground, and allows us to better connect farmers' individual motivations to collective development pathways in that territory. Our case study also demonstrates how a local PES intervention is unlikely to lastingly alter the production system logic of farmers, or stimulate long-term ‘pro-environmental’ behaviour, unless accompanied by other types of policies.
This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualizati... more This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’ interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts). We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such ...
This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented
conceptualizati... more This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’ interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts). We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such development pathways in rural territories, which we conceptualize as complex socio-ecological systems with dispersed polycentric governance. For the elaboration of this framework, we draw creatively on insights from the sustainable livelihood framework, development sociology, critical institutionalism, social capital theory, the legal pluralism perspective, the critique of participation and the Latin American territorial rural development (DTR) approach. We also compare our proposal, which is more developed from the perspective of non-governmental development actors, which the public policy perspective of the DTR.
This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualizati... more This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’ interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts). We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such ...
A key issue in the context of increasing large-scale land acquisitions in developing countries is... more A key issue in the context of increasing large-scale land acquisitions in developing countries is how poor populations can prevent their land rights being encroached upon by more powerful actors. To date, the majority of policy recommendations have been directed towards the legal recognition and formalization of land rights in order to safeguard local and historical land rights holders, as
Until now, most policy recommendations put forward to deal with the possible negative impacts of ... more Until now, most policy recommendations put forward to deal with the possible negative impacts of large-scale land acquisitions are either directed towards the legal recognition and formalization of land rights in order to secure the rights of historical land holders or the design and implementation of “voluntary” guidelines and codes of conduct that promote positive development outcomes of large-scale land investments. This paper argues that these types of recommendations tend to depoliticize the debate around access to land and natural resources, whether at local, national and international levels. This paper looks to bring this political dimension back by proposing an analytical framework in line with the legal pluralist tradition. From a legal pluralistic analysis of the process of land deals in Ethiopia, this paper finds out that socio-cultural identity and power structures, rather than market and regulatory failure alone, play a fundamental role in redirecting negotiations and ...
Market-based conservation instruments, such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), have become... more Market-based conservation instruments, such as Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), have become a dominant paradigm for environmental policies. Despite their broad endorsement, the implementation of PES schemes often rests on deep-seated power asymmetries and, therefore, risks reproducing existing inequalities. Thus, examination of PES should include how these schemes are constructed and negotiated between different actors, explicitly recognising their varying social positions, value frameworks and conflicting or collaborative relations. In this article we present a ‘PES simulation game’ as an alternative methodology to enhance understanding of complex negotiations between diverse actors involved in Ecosystem Services (ES) governance. The game mimics historical processes of agrarian change and social differentiation, simulates a range of ES governance interventions, and creates space for participants to collectively reflect on the motivational and socio-political dynamics triggered by the interventions. We discuss some of the main game dynamics as well as reflections generated by the game while examining a PES intervention in the Nicaraguan agricultural frontier. We illustrate the game’s potential for improving understanding of farmers’ constraints in decision-making processes and of the ways in which patron-client relationships within divergent value systems interact with specific ES governance interventions.
This article offers a conceptual-methodological approach to assess how new institutional framewor... more This article offers a conceptual-methodological approach to assess how new institutional frameworks, such as PES (Payments for Ecosystem Services), interact with motivations for land use change at the individual and collective level. Increasing empirical evidence suggests that the effects of payments on inducing long-term behavioural change can vary substantially, depending on how they are integrated in territorial dynamics. We show how individual motivation is the result of collective societal pathways that generate particular opportunities and constraints, as well as guiding ideas and habits that ‘work’ within these pathways. Through an illustrative case study at the agricultural frontier in Nicaragua, we show how an ‘agrarian system’ approach offers a more nuanced understanding of the dynamic interactions on the ground, and allows us to better connect farmers' individual motivations to collective development pathways in that territory. Our case study also demonstrates how a local PES intervention is unlikely to lastingly alter the production system logic of farmers, or stimulate long-term ‘pro-environmental’ behaviour, unless accompanied by other types of policies.
This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualizati... more This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’ interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts). We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such ...
This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented
conceptualizati... more This paper proposes a normative and an analytical framework for an actor-oriented conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’ interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts). We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such development pathways in rural territories, which we conceptualize as complex socio-ecological systems with dispersed polycentric governance. For the elaboration of this framework, we draw creatively on insights from the sustainable livelihood framework, development sociology, critical institutionalism, social capital theory, the legal pluralism perspective, the critique of participation and the Latin American territorial rural development (DTR) approach. We also compare our proposal, which is more developed from the perspective of non-governmental development actors, which the public policy perspective of the DTR.
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Papers by Merlet Pierre
conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’
interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning
vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative
framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an
ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject
methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts).
We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas
which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of
people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical
framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such development pathways in rural territories,
which we conceptualize as complex socio-ecological systems with dispersed polycentric
governance. For the elaboration of this framework, we draw creatively on insights from the
sustainable livelihood framework, development sociology, critical institutionalism, social capital
theory, the legal pluralism perspective, the critique of participation and the Latin American
territorial rural development (DTR) approach. We also compare our proposal, which is more developed
from the perspective of non-governmental development actors, which the public policy
perspective of the DTR.
conceptualization of the development of rural territories with the aim to inform practitioners’
interventions. For the latter, we stress the need for a more realistic and modest positioning
vis-à-vis the endogenous strategies of interacting actors in the rural territories. Our normative
framework draws on a relational elaboration of Sen’s human capabilities approach. We adopt an
ethical individualism (each individual’s well-being is the criterion for development), but reject
methodological individualism (well-being of individuals depends mainly on their own efforts).
We argue that power-laden social relations determine outcomes in the multiple political arenas
which will open or close collective development pathways upon which the (non)realization of
people’s desired livelihood trajectories depend. In the second part, we develop an analytical
framework that allows us to interpret the emergence of such development pathways in rural territories,
which we conceptualize as complex socio-ecological systems with dispersed polycentric
governance. For the elaboration of this framework, we draw creatively on insights from the
sustainable livelihood framework, development sociology, critical institutionalism, social capital
theory, the legal pluralism perspective, the critique of participation and the Latin American
territorial rural development (DTR) approach. We also compare our proposal, which is more developed
from the perspective of non-governmental development actors, which the public policy
perspective of the DTR.