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Institutional Subversion And Deforestation: Learning Lessons From The System For The Environmental Licencing Of Rural Properties In Mato Grosso

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  • Raoni Rajão
  • Andrea Azevedo
  • Marcelo C. C. Stabile

Abstract

SUMMARY This article contributes to the public administration and environmental governance literature by proposing the notion of ‘institutional subversion’ as a way of describing how the strategies adopted by local actors may change and even go against the initial aims of institutional development initiatives. The article discusses the case of the system for the environmental licencing of rural properties (SLAPR), an institutional development initiative by the state government of Mato Grosso in the south‐eastern portion of the Brazilian Amazon. It will be shown that even though this initiative has earned the status of ‘best practice’ in controlling deforestation, a closer look at SLAPR reveals that it has led to contradictory outcomes. During the first 8 years of SLAPR, it had no significant impact on reducing deforestation and, in some cases, even permitted the increase of total deforestation by providing authorization for this. According to an institutional analysis of the case study, the article draws particular conclusions that could be relevant to public administrators in the region and in other countries. In particular, it is argued that by accepting the possibility of institutional subversion, public administrators may become more attentive to unexpected consequences and be able to take corrective action. Furthermore, in order to avoid institutional subversion, public administrators should integrate institutional initiatives into broader governmental, technological and economical dimensions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Raoni Rajão & Andrea Azevedo & Marcelo C. C. Stabile, 2012. "Institutional Subversion And Deforestation: Learning Lessons From The System For The Environmental Licencing Of Rural Properties In Mato Grosso," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 32(3), pages 229-244, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:padxxx:v:32:y:2012:i:3:p:229-244
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    Cited by:

    1. Bénédicte Niel & Yann Laurans & Renaud Lapeyre & Pascale Combes Motel & Jean-Louis Combes, 2019. "Why do anti-deforestation policies succeed or fail? Review of the Theory of Change emerging from the existing literature," CERDI Working papers halshs-02090658, HAL.
    2. Miranda, Bruno Varella & de Oliveira, Gustavo Magalhães, 2023. "Assessing the performance of voluntary environmental agreements under high monitoring costs: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    3. Richard van der Hoff & Raoni Rajão & Pieter Leroy, 2018. "Clashing interpretations of REDD+ “results” in the Amazon Fund," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 433-445, October.
    4. Correa, Juliano & Cisneros, Elías & Börner, Jan & Pfaff, Alexander & Costa, Marcelo & Rajão, Raoni, 2020. "Evaluating REDD+ at subnational level: Amazon fund impacts in Alta Floresta, Brazil," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    5. Roitman, Iris & Cardoso Galli Vieira, Ludgero & Baiocchi Jacobson, Tamiel Khan & da Cunha Bustamante, Mercedes Maria & Silva Marcondes, Nívea Jorgia & Cury, Kátia & Silva Estevam, Luciana & da Costa R, 2018. "Rural Environmental Registry: An innovative model for land-use and environmental policies," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 95-102.

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