Sociology

Nongovernmental organizations, democracy, and deforestation: A cross-national analysis

Document Type

Article

Abstract

There have been several cross-national studies published in the world polity theoretical tradition that demonstrate the beneficial impact of international nongovernmental organizations. However, these studies neglect the role of domestic nongovernmental organizations. We address this gap in the literature by conducting a cross-national study that considers the impact of both international and domestic nongovernmental organizations on deforestation. We use data from a sample of 60 nations for the period of 1990 to 2005. We find substantial support for the world polity theory that higher levels of both types of nongovernmental organizations are associated with lower rates of deforestation. We expand the analysis to test a political opportunity structure hypothesis that democracy enhances the ability of nongovernmental organizations to deal with the causes of forest loss. In doing so, we find that international and domestic nongovernmental organizations tend to decrease forest loss more in democratic rather than in repressive nations. © 2012 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Publication Title

Society and Natural Resources

Publication Date

12-2012

Volume

25

Issue

3

First Page

251

Last Page

269

ISSN

0894-1920

DOI

10.1080/08941920.2011.573841

Keywords

cross-national, deforestation, nongovernmental organizations

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