https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/17640 Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:30:12 GMT 2026-04-28T19:30:12Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/18589 A constructivist analysis linking norm diffusion to policy networks Ganguly, Sunayana Biodiversity encompasses different constructions of ‘nature’, ‘economy’ and ‘livelihood’ that contain tensions between different sets of social and ethical concerns, economic or political preferences, scientific and technological systems, traditions and knowledge. Biodiversity Policy, therefore, is an important space where the competing dynamics of these processes can be observed. Using a constructivist approach, this literature review identifies and analyses particular variables that influence policy formulation in the context of India’s two main biodiversity policies: The Biodiversity Act and the National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan. The dependant model of the overall analytical framework is to explain participatory policy formulation with regard to biodiversity and the goal achievement of the actors involved. The goal of this paper is to identify the mechanisms of influence that explain a distinct process of policy formulation. These mechanisms of influence are identified first as norm diffusion through regimes - specifically the role of policy entrepreneurs and framing exercises, cultural and institutional structures-, and second, as domestic actors operating within an advocacy coalition. The research is based on expert interviews with key researchers and policy makers. The research attempts to capture the dynamic movement and interpretation of ideas as they move between the international and domestic spheres. This paper is both theoretical and empirical, as it brings in initial results from the field. It elucidates how policy processes have been constructed in certain ways and are influenced both by the international context and ideational components of domestic policy networks. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/18589 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/17852 A love match, a resource match, a good match? Cent, Joanna; Mertens, Cordula; Niedzialkowski, Krzysztof With their accession to the EU in 2004, Poland and Hungary had to implement the Natura 2000 programme for biodiversity protection. In both countries NGOs have been active throughout the implementation process. Forms and outcomes of NGO involvement, however, differed. Hungarian NGOs were very influential during the site designation phase, working closely with the governmental authorities and contributing considerably to the country’s site proposal. In Poland, the form of NGO’s involvement changed from opposition towards the government (publication of a Natura 2000 shadow list) to close cooperation with public institutions, resulting in a significant expansion of site designations. This paper analyses the role and impact of NGOs on Natura 2000 implementation in Poland and Hungary and seeks explanation for the observed differences with reference to the theoretical background of policy networks and advocacy coalitions. The qualitative data used for the study is based on in-depth interviews with NGOs representatives and officials of public institutions engaged in Natura 2000 implementation. The comparison shows that the existing architecture of the sector of biodiversity governance is decisive for NGO activities and determines their role and impact. In the European multilevel governance setting new formal and informal opportunities were given to NGOs. In both countries NGOs became stronger during the Natura 2000 process. We argue that this was a result of the establishment of multi-level policy networks between the European Commission, NGOs and public institutions, based on resource dependencies. These networks were powerful enough to overcome dominating policy patterns in both countries. The differences found between Hungary and Poland could be explained by different discoursive positions of the responsible ministries. The change of government in Poland in 2007 shifted the discourse towards supporting conservation, which enabled the formation of an advocacy coalition between the government and NGOs. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/17852 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/18399 A mandate for local people’s voice Fritz-Vietta, Nadine; Stoll-Kleemann, Susanne Madagascar is well-known for its natural uniqueness but at the same time faces a tremendous habitat loss because of anthropogenic threats. As global initiative governments are encouraged to nominate protected areas in order to either stop or reduce biodiversity loss. While decisions on conservation activities are mainly based on epistemic grounds, the role of local people and their socio-cultural context in its complexity remains to be left out. Although conservation organizations demonstrate their willingness to cooperate with local people, cultural discrepancies are still too vast and yet inhibit a well-balanced and constructive collaboration. In a social science study using participatory rural appraisal and semi-structured interviews in two biosphere reserves in the north of Madagascar we collected qualitative data from local people, local authorities and biosphere reserve management. The aim is (1) to contrast local value perceptions with western epistemic based understanding of forest resources and (2) to elaborate on local social institutions (organization) in the two Malagasy biosphere reserves. Results show on the one hand that by far not only provisioning services are conveyed as could have been expected, but also values that can be assigned to one of the three other categories: regulating, cultural or supporting services. On the other hand local people support a grouping in thematic associations, which foster their recognition and potential social movements towards collectively defined goals in the conservation debate. These facts encourage dialogue between apparently differing positions on forest ecosystems that provide services to both the local and the global community. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/18399 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/17863 A new theory-driven approach to institutional interplay Zelli, Fariborz; Gupta, Aarti; Asselt, Harro van In this paper, we seek to contribute theoretically to the literature on horizontal institutional inter-linkages in global environmental governance by framing such inter-linkages as regime conflicts that are embedded in and shaped by overarching governance norms. Our definition of regime conflicts stresses the legal and behavioural conflicts that are immanent to any regime inter-linkage. Furthermore, it allows for an analytical distinction between inter-linkages per se (i.e. a positional difference) and their consequences (i.e. subsequent processes such as the management of a conflict). This allows for theory-driven analyses and predictions of these consequences. We further argue that such conflicts among international regimes are embedded in a broader normative context. Regime conflicts are an articulation of ongoing contestations over broader norms, practices and objectives. Building on these concepts of regime conflicts and norm collusion, our paper targets a particular consequence of regime inter-linkages. We ask to what extent overarching global governance norms (and conflicts among them) shape regime development in general, and specific rules on overlapping issues among regimes in particular. We pursue this research question for three cases of potential regime conflicts: between the UN climate regime and the World Trade Organization; between the UN climate regime and the Convention on Biological Diversity; and between the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the World Trade Organization. For all three cases we find a dominance of the norms of neoliberal environmentalism, which has fostered inclusion of market-based approaches into the environmental regimes involved in these conflicts. However, we also identify considerable variation across the three cases: the dominance of neoliberal environmentalism has also been contested by other overarching global norms. This contestation has led to the inclusion of alternative norms in the involved regimes. We conclude by assessing the consequences of this for theoretical study of regime inter- linkages. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/17863 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z