Governing through Markets: Forest Certification and the Emergence of Non-State Authority [Hardcover]

Professor Benjamin Cashore (Author), Professor Graeme Auld (Author), Deanna Newsom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2004

In recent years a startling policy innovation has emerged within global and domestic environmental governance: certification systems that promote socially responsible business practices by turning to the market, rather than the state, for rule-making authority. This book documents five cases in which the Forest Stewardship Council, a forest certification programme backed by leading environmental groups, has competed with industry and landowner-sponsored certification systems for legitimacy. The authors compare the politics behind forest certification in five countries. They reflect on why there are differences regionally, discuss the impact the Forest Stewardship Council has had on other certification programmes, and assess the ability of private forest certification to address global forest deterioration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent book that will make a significant contribution to an important emerging area of research."—Aseem Prakash, University of Washington

"A rich theoretical and empirical contribution to our understanding of private environmental governance in the forestry sector in several industrial countries. It will be of considerable interest to those involved in environmental management and governance."—David J. Vogel, University of California, Berkeley

About the Author

Benjamin Cashore is assistant professor of sustainable forest policy and chair, Program on Forest Certification, Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Graeme Auld is a PhD student at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Deanna Newsom is TREES Program Associate, Rainforest Alliance, Richmond, Vermont.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (June 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300101090
• ISBN-13: 978-0300101096
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,888,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly Reviews, December 12, 2004

By 

Benjamin W. Cashore - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Governing through Markets: Forest Certification and the Emergence of Non-State Authority (Hardcover)

Dear Readers, please see the following reviews on our book from a range of experts, which are also posted at
http://www.governingthroughmarkets.com/book/praise.htm

"the leading analysis, from a social science perspective, on the most important trend in forest policy."

-George Hoberg

"An excellent book that will make a significant contribution to an important emerging area of research."

-Aseem Prakash

"...a rich theoretical and empirical contribution to our understanding of private environmental governance in the forestry sector in several industrial countries. I am aware of no other published work that presents such an exhaustive account and analysis of private environmental governance, let alone in this critical sector. It should attract considerable interest among those interested in environmental management and its relationship to corporate responsibility "

-Prof. David Vogel

"This book stands not just as a contribution to the important contemporary problem of forest certification, but adds to the corpus of scholarly political analysis of forestry issues. As such, I suspect it will command the attention of students and scholars in this field for some time."

-Clark S. Binkley

"Valuable and full of perceptive insights. Cashore and colleagues have made a real contribution to the debate."

-Chris Elliott

"Under what conditions do markets effectively govern the environmental practices of firms? When, more narrowly, does certification promote more sustainable forest practices? Governing Through Markets is essential reading for all future analysis of these increasingly central questions in the literature on global environmental governance."

-Peter Dauvergne

"This work is important in that it tells those following the drama what to look for as the play unfolds."

-John Gordon

"Cashore, Auld and Newsom provide analysis of case studies on FSC and forest certification in the US, Canada (BC), UK, Germany and Sweden. National stakeholder groups may find it strategically useful to analyze their circumstances according to the criteria identified by this study"

-Gemma Boetekees