Contested resources: Challenges to the governance of natural resources in Southern Africa
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Date
2002
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape
Abstract
In this keynote address I wish to identify some
important ideas and conclusions arising out of recent
analyses of theory and practice on natural resource
management. I use these in a preliminary attempt to
argue that the centrality of power and meaning in
processes of ‘governing natural resources’ is not
sufficiently addressed in the currently favoured
approaches of ‘common property theory’.
My intention is to provide some food for thought as
we consider together the specific cases presented in
the symposium. I am personally committed to the
intersection of scholarship or theory-building with
practical action, including policy. Note that I say
‘intersection’ – I do not wish to conflate the academic
work of theory-building with the practical work of
applying theory to policy, but I also reject their total
separation as neither possible nor desirable. It is the
interface of ideas and action which interests me. I am
particularly interested in the way certain ideas or
approaches make their way into policy design and
implementation, often with no attention being paid
to their theoretical premises, and how quickly they
become accepted as conventional wisdoms. Equally
interesting is the question of why some ideas and
approaches developed by thinkers and researchers do
not make their way into policy debate. Today, I shall
discuss some notions that currently dominate the
realm of natural resource management so effectively
that they exclude others that might be more
appropriate guides.
Description
Keywords
Contested resources, Governance, Southern Africa, Natural resource management, Common property theory
Citation
Benjaminsen, T. A. et al. (2002). Contested resources: Challenges to the governance of natural resources in Southern Africa. Cape Town: Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) University of the Western Cape.