(Forest EU) Governance and Stability of Regulative
Forest Policy Measures in Post-socialist Country:
Case Study Slovenia
Milan Šinko
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty
Dept. of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources
(Forest EU) Governance and Stability of Regulative
Forest Policy Measures in Post-socialist Country:
Case Study Slovenia
Road map of presentation
• Introduction
• Research question
• Theoretical framework
• Research design
– Data Analysis
– Data Collection
• Preliminary results
• Contribution to COST action
Introduction
Forest policy design
- Policy problems
- Policy goals
- Forest policy tools mix:
– Regulative tools prevail (e.g. obligatory forest
management planning for all forests, obligatory tree
marking for felling)
– Economic tools (less important - e.g. financing of silviculture
approx. 1 €/ha/year on average)
– Informational tools.
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Introduction
Year
Social-political
context
1985
Socialist
self-
1990
management
1991
1993
Market system
&
1998
International
context
Regulatory forest policy tools
Compulsory forest management planning
Obligatory marking trees for felling
Prescribed min and max felling of AAC
Global and
regional forest
related
activities
(UNCED,
MCPFE)
Prescribed possible max felling of AAC
Pre-accession
negotiations
Parliamentary
democracy
2004
2013
EU
Membership
Compulsory forest management planning
Obligatory marking trees for felling,
Prescribed possible max felling of AAC
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Research question
• How the international forest governance
affect the stability of regulative measures
of forest policy in Slovenia (as a postsocialist country)?
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Theoretical framework
Theories of policy
/change (policy difussion, policy transfer (‘policy learning’), ACF)
/stability (path dependency, policy regime).
Policy transfer
(lesson drawing)
Theory of policy “unlearning”?
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Theoretical framework
Global level
Regional level (EU,
Forest Europe)
Policy difussion:
Constructivism
Coercion
Economic competition
Learning
Policy transfer
(e.g. emulation, lesson
drawing)
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Slovenian Forest
policy (policy
measures)
Research design
• Case study approach (why/how question, historical and
contemporal phenomenon, unability to influence important variables)
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Research design
CONCEPTUAL
FRAMEWOR
Goals
Analysis and
interpretation of historical
important phenomena
Governance (OMC)
Theory improvement
Historical institutionalism
Policy theories
RESEARCH
QUESTION:
» How the international
forest governance affect
the stability of regulative
measures of forest policy
in Slovenia”
METHODS
VALIDITY
Qualitative approach
Triangulation,
comparative analysis of
published case studies
Text analysis
Semi-structured problemcentred interviews
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Research design
• Specifics of Forest policy:
– Long term impacts of present decisions
– Involves strong values (emotions)
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Research design
• Specifics of policy making during transition:
– Address urgent and key topics within the time constraints
– Considerable uncertainty about the processes and objectives
– Rapid change of authoritarian power structures with the new
structure of political actors,
– Concentration in the elite and the short period of mobilization of
the masses, who quickly returned to private sphere
– Introduction of negotiations in a decision making process.
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Research design
– Context of Slovenian forest policy making (GoFor 2004)
Socio-economics factors
Political factors
Ecological factors
– Main political actors (GoFor 2004)
Assumptions
Preferences
Policy position
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Research design
• Who learns?
• Who is a teacher?
• What it is learned?
Prima facia
indicators
Evidence
Social learning
Change in policy
goals
Changes in dominant causal beliefs
in the policy domain
Instrumental
learning
Change in
instruments
Increased understanding of policy
instruments
Political
learning
Change in political
strategy
Awareness of relationship between
political strategy and political
feasibility within a given
advocacy coalition
May 1992, Radaelli 2009
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Data analysis
• Qualitative analysis
– Text analysis (Coding)
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Data collection
• Scientific papers, policy papers, political
articles, press releases)
• Semi-structured problem-centred
interviews with relevant policy
stakeholders (experts, public officials,
stakeholders)
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Preliminary results
Prima facia indicators
Evidence
Social learning
Change in policy goals Changes in dominant causal beliefs in
the policy domain
Instrumental
learning
Change in instruments Increased understanding of policy
instruments
Political learning Change in political
strategy
Awareness of relationship between
political strategy and political
feasibility of policy programmes
• EU and Pan European forest policy processes influence
political learning in Slovenia to a significant extent, but exercise
a much smaller influence on social and instrumental learning.
• Political learning is associated with the stability of forest policy.
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
Contribution to COST Action
• Analysis of the EU and pan European forest
focused policy processes (multilevel, multistakeholder governance) on choice of national
forest policy measures
• Analysis of presence of OMC as governance by
soft modes in Slovenia
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
• Thank you for your attention!
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
EU and Pan European level of forest governance
Governance by legislation
Governance by cooperation
Governance by soft modes:
- Open method of coordination (includes a notion of learning)
-…
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
EU and Pan European level of ofrest governance
Governance by legislation
Governance by cooperation
Governance by soft modes:
Open method of coordination (includes a notion of
learning)
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
• 2; According to Yin (1994), a
• case study approach is advisable when
“how” or “why” questions are posed, when
• the investigator has little control over
events and when the research focus is on
• contemporary phenomena within some
real-life context” (Yin 1994,13).
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana
• Lastnosti tranzicije v večini tranzicijskih držav so:
obravnavanje nujnih in ključnih tematik v časovnih
omejitvah, velika negotovost o procesih in ciljih, hitra
sprememba avtoritarne strukture oblasti z novo strukturo
političnih igralcev, osredotočenost v elite in kratko
obdobje mobilizacije množic, ki so se hitro vrnile v
zasebno sfero. Tranzicijo lahko razumemo tudi kot
spremenjen način urejanja konfliktov v prehodu iz
avtoritarnih režimov v večstrankarske sisteme. S
tranzicijo se pojavlja koncept pogajanj v odločanju, kar je
za Welsha (1994, 381) ključno v razumevanju
tranzicijskih procesov, v katerih morajo pogajalci doseči
dogovor, vendar želijo hkrati doseči izid, ki jim ustreza.
Milan Šinko - University of
Ljubljana