SFFG 125: POLITICAL ECONOMY AND
ADMINISTRATION OF FORESTRY
DEVELOPMENT
POLITICAL SCIENCE
- Branch of science that deals with the study
of state and governance.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
- As a science, it deals with the study of
structure and political processes in relation
to allocation of resources.
POLITICAL ECONOMISTS
- Start from the assumption that political
questions of resource ownership, power and
distribution have great influence on the
process of development.
ADMINISTRATION
- Execution of public affairs as distinguished
from policy making.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
- Science and art of managing the operations
and activities of a public organization.
FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT
- Processes and outcomes involved in the
evolution of the discipline and practice of
forestry.
- Involves changes in the philosophy, theory,
policy and practice in forestry under a given
historical, socio-economic, and political
context and their subsequent effects to forest
resources.
POWER AND POWER RELATIONS
 POLITICS
o Play of power
o When we exercise power over
others, ourselves, and when other
exercise power among us.
 POWER
o What is our notion of powerful
people?
 When they can wield
influence over other
people?
 Have positions of
prominence?
 Because they are wealthy,
charismatic and went to
the right school?
POWER
- Esentially contested concept.
- No agreement on the exact nature of social
and political power.
- Some perspectives more relevant to political
economic analysis than others.
TWO VIEWS OF POWER
1. Power is a social relation built on an
assymetrical distribution of resources and
risks (Alf Hornbog, 2001).
 Supports Nelson and Wright’s
(1995) “POWER-OVER MODEL”
which argues that power rests in a
certain subject like the state or the
elite which has more control over
resources like the forest.
2. DECENTERED MODEL OF POWER.
Power is seen as subjectless. Following
Foucault (1979), this concept supports the
view that political power is exercised in
terms of political rationalities and
intellectual objectives that allows self
regulation to attain certain political
objectives.
 “Decentered Model” points to the
need to focus the analysis on humble
and mundane mechanisms associated
with knowledge and expertise
through which the actions,
judgements of persons and
organizations are linked to political
objectives.
 In CBFM, examples of such
mundane mechanisms include
various planning tools:
  Community Resource deprivations for non conformity
Management Framework with the policy intended.
(CRMF)
 Five year work plan - A relationship of control involving two
 Various types of tenure steps:
instruments like Community  Party A threatens unpleasant
Based Forest Management consequences if Party B acts or
Agreements (CBFMA). does not act as A wishes.
- In the context of political ecology, Power is  Party b acts as Party A wishes
employed in relation to resource production
and use and exercise in diverse arenas and
multiple scales.
- Subject vs. Object of Power.
- Drawing on this conceptualization, politics
refers to the practices and practices by AUTHORITY
which multiple forms of power is exercised
through various actors and mechanisms. - The right to exercise the power and
influence of particular position that comes
INFLUENCE from having been placed in that position
accoding to regular, known, and widely
- Includes all cases when one party’s desire
affect the behavior of another party. accepted procedures.
- Seen as form of “legitimate power”.
- Can take place without threat of sanction or
promise of reward. LEGITIMACY
FACTORS AFFECTING INFLUENCE: - The condition of being considered to be
correctly placed in a particular role and by
 MONEY
carrying out of the function of that role
 INFORMATION correctly.
 MORE FRIENDS
 MORE SKILLS IN THE ART OF POLITICAL LEGITIMACY
PERSUASION
 BETTER MEANS OF - Means having widespread approval for the
COMMUNICATION way one exercises political power.
 STRONGER MOTIVATION - Power is most readily exercised if the source
 MASTEY OF TECHNOLOGY is recognized as legitimate by those subject
INCLUDING INTELLECTUAL to it.
TECHNOLOGY Legitimation of power relation may be attained by:
1. Appeal to tradition
POWER CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH: 2. Institutionalization in societal structure
1. Force (including psychic and physical) (especially those of state apparatus)
3. Through charisma of the powerful
 Violent and non violent
4. Through participatory approaches and
2. Manipulation
“mundane mechanisms.
3. Persuasion and creation of consensus
4. Authority STRUCTURES OF POWER
5. Self regulation of subject
- Can be appreciated by analyzing three
DOMINANT VIEW OF POWER domains: State, Civil Society, Market.
- Special case of the exercise of influence STATE
 The process of affecting policies
of others with the help of sevee
 - Traditionally regarded as areas of land (or
land and water) with relatively well defined,
internationally recognized political
boundaries.
 Within this territory resides people
with an independent political identity
usually referred to as nation state.
THEORY OF STATE
- Focuses on the state as a set of institutions
for the protection and maintenance of the
society.
 Institution includes the government,
politics, the judiciary, armed forces
etc. and guarantee the reproduction
of social relations in a way which is
beyond the capability of any
individual or single social group.
- The theory of state is driven by a single
profoundly important question: Why is it
necessay to constitute a society a separate
agency called a state?
STATE APPARATUS
- Set of institutions and organizations through
which state power is exercise.
Political: the set of parties, elections, governments
and constitutions.
Legal: the mechanism which allowed peaceful
mediation between conflicting social groups.
Repressive: the mechanisms of internal (intra-
national) and external (international) enforcement
of state power, including the civilian police and the
armed forces.
Production: the range of state manufactured and
state distributed goods and services.
Provision: where the state contracts with other
agencies for production and distribution of goods
and services
Treasury: Fiscal and monetary arrangements for
regulating internal and economic relations.
Health, education and welfare: basic services for the
promotion of population well being etc.
PLURALIST THEORY OF STATE
- State is seen as an institution that serves the
interests of the people and therefore is a
neutral aggregator of competing preferences.
- Largely inspired by social contract theories
– an image of citizenry that gave up
individual freedom to be governed by states
on the agreement (contract) that will protect
their rights.
 Outlines sovereignty of the people as
the ultimate source of state power
(people retain right to change the
government – democratic elections)
 People as the ultimate source of law
– extra constitutional means of
changing corrupt and immoral
government remain a prerogative of
the people
ELITIST THEORY
- State is seen as an instrument of the elite
class
- Alternatively, if not a direct instrument, state
is structured in such a way that it has a bias
in favor of the elite class.
- Exemplified by Marxist conception of the
state – state seen as serving the interest of
the capitalist class.
CORPORATIST THEORY
- State is viewed as another player in the
society.
- State assumes an independent role and
becomes a class itself competing with other
groups in society.
- Becomes independent of any class and has
its own interest to pursue.
 Exemplified by bureaucratic
authoritarian state which are
governed by military juntas.
STATE
- Not the sole authority for establishing order
in the society.
- Although the only institution in the society
that can legitimately use violence, can
declare war to its citizen, extract taxes, and
kill with moral authority through death
penalty.
 CIVIL SOCIETY a. STATE
“For a successful collective management, it
- A web of autonomous associations is essential that the user group have security
independent of state, bringing the of access to and use of the resource.
community together in their pursuit of Effective local control, or joint control with
common interest (Korbonski). the state, requires willingness, and ability of
- CS as source of social consolidation by government to legitimize, and empower the
providing mmechanism by which order is local institutions and help enforce their
established. rights (Arnold, JEM, Forestry Paper 132,
- Social life as a while, or the aspect of human printed in 1999).
life which goes beyond the state and private
interesrs and where people live and act b. CIVIL SOCIETY
together in everyday life (Coronel – Ferrer, - CSOs
1997). - Mediator, facilitator and service providers.
- Examples: NGO, Pos, religious institutions,
academe, media, political and social c. PRIVATE SECTOR
movements and parties, and basic - Market
communities. - Coordinating Mechanism
- Includes organic and traditional institutions “A major challenge for government and
which foster collective action at the local formal institutions is to be more welcoming
level. and supportive of private sectors with
- May be viewed as alternative to state, even appropriate safeguards to ensure the public
as it influences the state in the manner of interest is not compromised” (World
how citizens are produced and reproduced. Development Report, 2003).
ECONOMY
THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT
- Another domain for allocating entitlements
through the logic of the market. Development equation = economics +
- The domain of capital political (distributional aspect of growth) +
- Follows law of supply and demand. social dimension (participation and
- Profit maximization is the main concern. empowerment) + natural capital /
environment (finite resources).
THREE-FOLD UPLAND GOVERNANCE
SETUP IN THE PHILIPPINES
FOUR DECADES OF DEVELOPMENT
GLOBAL OUTCOMES (1950- 1990).
Fourfold Increase in Economic Development
- Twofold increase in Population
- Dramatic Advances in Lead Indicators of
Systems Failure
ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE POVERTY
- Twofold increase in absolute poverty
- Widening gap between rich and poor
ECOSYSTEM STRESS AND FAILURE
- Climate and Ozone
- Land, Water, Forests, Fisheries,
- Toxic Contamination
- Energy Depletion
SOCIAL FABRIC DISINTEGRATION 3. MARGINALS (absolute deprivation)
- Travel by foot, maybe donkey.
- Crime and drugs - Eat nutritionally, inadequate diet.
- Family breakdown, violence and suicide - Drink contaminated water.
- Civil and civilian war casualties - Used no packaged products
- Refugees - Live in rudimentary shelters or in the open.
- Rising police, security and military - Produce negligible wastes. Wear second
expenditure. hand clothing or scraps.
 Our Common Future calls for 3% annual
 Global income inequality is probably greater growth to eliminate proverty and protect the
than it has ever been in human history environment.
 Currently, the richest 1% of the people in
the world receives as much as the bottom
57%.
 Most of the world’s people are poor.
 Milanovic found that the richest 25% of the
world’s population receives 75% of the
world’s income even when adjusting for
Purchasing Power Parity.
 The poorest 75% of the population just share
25%.
- This occurs because a large proportion of
the world’s population lives in the poorest
countries and within the poorest regions of
those countries, particularly in rural areas of
China, rural and urban India and Africa.
EARTH’S THREE SOCIOLOGICAL
CLASSES (Durning)
1. OVERCONSUMERS (1 billion) [cars-meat-
disposables]
- Travel by car and air
- Eat high fat,m high calorie meat based diet
- Drink bottled water and softdrinks.
- Use many disposables
- Live in spacious, climate controlled, single
family residences
- Discard substantial waste. Maintain image
conscious wardrobe.

2. SUSTAINERS (3 billion) (living lightly)

- Travel by bicycle and public surface
transport.
- Eat healthy diet of grains, vegetables and
some meat.
- Drink clean watrer plus some tea and coffee/
- Use few pre-packaged goods.
- Live in modest, naturally ventilated
residences with extended/multiple families.
- Recucle most waste
- Wear functional clothing