Public and private in natural resource governance

Natural resources have historically been considered as being governed by public or private interests-that is, by the state on behalf of the people, or by companies or individuals driven by the market. This dichotomy between private and public is now recognized as overly simplistic, and it is clear that publics and privates operate at a range of levels and with differing degrees of cooperation. Bringing together a group of internationally respected researchers, this book provides a new perspective on prominent issues in resource governance, including the state, NGOs, civil society, communities, participation, and hybrid institutions, highlighting the three-dimensional nature of relations between public and private. It builds on empirical analyses from five fields of natural resource governance-agri-environment, biodiversity, food quality and safety, forestry, and rural water-and employs a comparative approach which goes beyond the specificities of individual policy fields, recognizing shared elements and allowing for a greater understanding of the dynamics underlying governance processes. An introduction to the volume and to each section summarize the key debates and highlights linkages between chapters. This is essential reading for academics, students and policy experts in natural resource governance, development and environmental policy.