Ecologically unequal exchange and national governance: A cross‐national analysis of forest loss

• Published in: Environmental policy and governance Vol. 29; no. 6; pp. 422 - 434
• Main Author: Sommer, Jamie M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.11.2019
• Subjects: cross‐national; ecologically unequal exchange; forest loss; national governance
• ISSN: 1756-932X; 1756-9338
• DOI: 10.1002/eet.1869

Previous research within the theory of ecologically unequal exchange finds that forestry exports from low‐ and middle‐income nations to high‐income nations yield increased forest loss in exporting nations. I expand upon this research by considering how the level of national governance within a nation moderates the impacts of forestry export flows from low‐ and middle‐income nations to high‐income nations on forest loss. To test this claim, I include an interaction term between forestry export flows and three national governance measures (i.e., voice and accountability, political stability, and regulatory quality) using robust regression for a sample of 76 low‐ and middle‐income nations. The findings suggest that forestry exports flows from low‐ and middle‐income nations to high‐income nations increase forest loss more at lower levels of national governance than higher levels of national governance. I also find that forestry rents, environmental nongovernmental organizations, gross domestic product per capita, and economic growth are related to forest loss.