Policy that Works for Forests and People

Mayers, J. and Bass, S. (1999): Overview Report: Policy that Works for Forests and People.  Policy that works no. 7:  Series Overview. International Institute for Environment and Development, London.

The contents include: Forest problems - is policy really to blame? Understanding policy in practice; Lessons learned from country studies in Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, India, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Costa Rica; key policy developments in Portugal, Scotland, China, Australia, Scandinavia, West Africa; Corporate influences on policy for forests; Certification and buyers groups; Global change and international games; Factors that affect forest decision-making and policy outcomes; Policy processes that work; Policy instruments that work: What can be done.

Executive summary
We are used to being told that forests are good for us all. Certainly, the range of benefits that can be derived from forests and trees are legion. But there are costs too, and no-one thrives on forest goods and services alone. Forests must also be transformed, in some places, to make way for farming and settlement to meet other needs. In theory, policy should be able to ensure some kind of balance so that forests are conserved, developed – and cleared – in the most suitable places.

Annex 1: Doing policy work
The aim of this Annex is to offer some guidance on approaches and methods for engaging with policy. Here, ‘engaging’ implies the messy business of ‘locking horns’, rather than the anticipation of a happy marriage. The Annex introduces policy research literature, explores the theory behind policy and marks out how to develop a strategy. The later sections deal with methods of analysing policy, tactics in influencing policy and lastly, how to track the impact of policy work.

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