Theories for forest policy analysis: a systematic and longitudinal overview

Theories for forest policy analysis: a systematic and longitudinal overview. Arts, B. (Wageningen University and Research centre, the Netherlands; [email protected]). This presentation gives an overview of political and policy theories which are currently used in the sub-discipline of forest policy analysis, and evaluates trends over time in the use of different theories. The aim is to consider whether the sub-discipline of forest policy analysis deviates from the “mother discipline” of policy sciences in general, and if so, how and to what extent. The data are retrieved from the scientific literature database SCOPUS and covers the time frame of 1995 to 2008. While presenting the theories used, the presentation also offers a systematic overview of theories applied in forest policy analysis. This overview might be helpful for researchers in order to: (1) identify an appropriate theory once one conducts a specifi c research project; or (2) position his or her preferred theory in the literature as a whole. The analysis shows that the current top 3 theories used in the forest policy sub-discipline are: (a) policy network approach, (b) (neo)institutionalism and (c) social-constructivism. The longitudinal analysis further shows that the advocacy coalition framework, no. 1 in the late 1990s, has lost ground in the sub-discipline. This outcome is more or less in line with developments in the “mother discipline”