Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012
Environmental sociologists highlight the exploitative nature of the global capitalist economy where resource extraction from nations in the periphery tends to disproportionately benefit those of the core. From the Brazilian Amazon to mineral-rich Sub-Saharan Africa, the practice of “unequal ecologic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
2017-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of World-Systems Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/699 |
| _version_ | 1819209755957133312 |
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| author | Kent Henderson Kristen Shorette |
| author_facet | Kent Henderson Kristen Shorette |
| author_sort | Kent Henderson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Environmental sociologists highlight the exploitative nature of the global capitalist economy where resource extraction from nations in the periphery tends to disproportionately benefit those of the core. From the Brazilian Amazon to mineral-rich Sub-Saharan Africa, the practice of “unequal ecological exchange” persists. Simultaneously, a “global environmental regime” has coalesced as a prominent feature of the contemporary world system. In the post-World War II era, legitimate nation-states must take steps to protect the natural environment and prevent its degradation even at their own economic expense. Stronger national ties to global institutions, particularly international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) consistently yield more positive environmental outcomes. However, previous work suggests that normative expectations for improved environmental practice will be weak or nonexistent in the periphery. We use the case of palm oil production and its relationship to deforestation to provide a more nuanced analysis of the relationship between material and institutional forces in the periphery. Using unbalanced panels of fifteen palm oil producing countries from 1990 to 2012, we find that stronger national ties to world society via citizen memberships in INGOs result in greater primary forest area among palm oil producers. However, this effect is strongest where production is lowest and weakens as production increases. Even in the cases of Indonesia and Malaysia, where palm oil production is substantially higher than any other producer, ties to global institutions are significantly related to reduced forest loss. These results indicate the variable importance of national embeddedness into global institutions within the periphery of the world system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T06:00:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d03bfc36913405985f5f4e13c78c0f6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1076-156X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T06:00:20Z |
| publishDate | 2017-08-01 |
| publisher | University Library System, University of Pittsburgh |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of World-Systems Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d03bfc36913405985f5f4e13c78c0f62022-12-21T17:57:42ZengUniversity Library System, University of PittsburghJournal of World-Systems Research1076-156X2017-08-0123226929710.5195/jwsr.2017.699666Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012Kent Henderson0Kristen Shorette1State University of New York at Stony BrookState University of New York at Stony BrookEnvironmental sociologists highlight the exploitative nature of the global capitalist economy where resource extraction from nations in the periphery tends to disproportionately benefit those of the core. From the Brazilian Amazon to mineral-rich Sub-Saharan Africa, the practice of “unequal ecological exchange” persists. Simultaneously, a “global environmental regime” has coalesced as a prominent feature of the contemporary world system. In the post-World War II era, legitimate nation-states must take steps to protect the natural environment and prevent its degradation even at their own economic expense. Stronger national ties to global institutions, particularly international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) consistently yield more positive environmental outcomes. However, previous work suggests that normative expectations for improved environmental practice will be weak or nonexistent in the periphery. We use the case of palm oil production and its relationship to deforestation to provide a more nuanced analysis of the relationship between material and institutional forces in the periphery. Using unbalanced panels of fifteen palm oil producing countries from 1990 to 2012, we find that stronger national ties to world society via citizen memberships in INGOs result in greater primary forest area among palm oil producers. However, this effect is strongest where production is lowest and weakens as production increases. Even in the cases of Indonesia and Malaysia, where palm oil production is substantially higher than any other producer, ties to global institutions are significantly related to reduced forest loss. These results indicate the variable importance of national embeddedness into global institutions within the periphery of the world system.http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/699EnvironmentUnequal Ecological ExchangeInstitutionalismPalm Oil |
| spellingShingle | Kent Henderson Kristen Shorette Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012 Journal of World-Systems Research Environment Unequal Ecological Exchange Institutionalism Palm Oil |
| title | Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012 |
| title_full | Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012 |
| title_fullStr | Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012 |
| title_short | Environmentalism in the Periphery: Institutional Embeddedness and Deforestation among Fifteen Palm Oil Producers, 1990 – 2012 |
| title_sort | environmentalism in the periphery institutional embeddedness and deforestation among fifteen palm oil producers 1990 2012 |
| topic | Environment Unequal Ecological Exchange Institutionalism Palm Oil |
| url | http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/699 |
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