Global Commodity Governance: State Responses to Sustainable Forest and Fisheries Certification (International Political Economy Series)

The Forest and the Marine Stewardship Councils constitute new global governance institutions using voluntary certification and labelling as market incentives to encourage sustainable management. Utilizing a comparative political economic framework, the authors analyse shifting British, Canadian and Australian responses to the stewardship councils. Commodities like coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa, timber and fish are key components of world trade. They unite primary and intermediary producers with retailers, wholesalers and consumers in a global network of production and consumption. Yet, much of this global commodity trade is environmentally and socially unsustainable resulting in pollution, deforestation, overfishing, the exploitation of indigenous peoples' lands and low-paid labour. Governmental efforts to deliver better outcomes have been halting and half-hearted. Working within international organizations, they have been unable to agree strong rules to govern the global commons, prompting the formation of unique coalitions between business and civil society organizations to develop alternative governance mechanisms. One especially significant form of these new governance arrangements is certification and labeling such as the schemes developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). These organizations aim to secure the sustainable production of wood and fish products by developing standards, monitoring compliance, and certifying and labeling products for purchase in stores by consumers. This book builds on the policy network literature to develop a unique ecological political economy approach to analyzing the schemes. It provides a comparative analysis of the governance arrangements that underpin the FSC and MSC and engages in a forensic analysis of governmental responses to the two schemes in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom 'This book provides a comprehensive and timely analysis of the role of the state in market- and civil society led global commodity governance. Focusing on forest and fisheries certification, Gale and Haward demonstrate that governments influence processes and outcomes in more ways than you would think. It is essential reading for all who have dismissed governments as insignificant actors in global commodity governance' -- Lars H. Gulbrandsen, Senior Research Fellow, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway 'To effectively analyze natural resource industries requires a broad, holistic approach. This book does the job nicely. In it, one finds a wonderful mix of topics. The emphasis is on the changing face of governance in fisheries and forestry, but it also includes a policy analysis of how ecolabelling and certification have evolved in these two commodity based industries. There are also useful comparisons of the key sustainability issues in fisheries and forestry. I learned a great deal here.' -Anthony Charles, St. Mary's University, Halifax, Canada Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Commodity Governance in a Globalising World....Pages 1-14 Global Commodities, Sustainable Governance: An Analytic Framework....Pages 15-47 The Forest Stewardship Council and the Marine Stewardship Council....Pages 48-90 Forest and Fisheries Management in Comparative Perspective....Pages 91-141 Forest and Fisheries Certification in Australia....Pages 142-172 Forest and Fisheries Certification in Canada....Pages 173-206 Forest and Fisheries Certification in the UK....Pages 207-232 Comparative Analysis of State Responses to the FSC and the MSC....Pages 233-258 Conclusion....Pages 259-266 Back Matter....Pages 267-315