Syllabus
Forest Certification as
Environmental Policy Making
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
February 9-11, 2001
Overview: Several contemporary forest certification programs seek to define and implement standards for good forest management. Because they invoke the public interest and seek to shape public norms and institutions for forest management, this seminar examines forest certification programs as forms of public policy making. The seminar will follow a general discussion format in which students and faculty jointly seek to illuminate the key policy issues posed by forest certification. The purpose of the seminar is to help members participate effectively and critically in future developments and debates regarding forest certification.
Update:
Since the Vorbesprechung in December, I have carefully reviewed the plan for the
seminar, and concluded that the time frame is too tight to allow for all of the
activities and topics originally planned. Consequently, I have:
1. Reduced the number of required readings;
2. Eliminated the requirement of student presentations, and
3. Reduced the number of topics to be discussed.
We will use the a core set of readings to lay the foundations for most of the
discussions in the course.
Location
Seminar Room, Institute for
Forestry Economics, Second Floor, Herderbau, Tennenbacher Str. 4:
Requirements:
Students will be expected
to do all of the following:
Hausarbeit: It will be possible for students who wish to pursue an issue in certification in greater depth to arrange for 2, 4, or 6 additional Hausarbeit credits. Such credits will require conducting additional focused research on topics related to the course. Written products must be the student's own work, not copied from other sources. Specific contracts must be worked out with the instructor.
Topics and Readings: As many reading materials as possible are available on the internet. The few others will copied and available for sale from the Sekretariat of the Institute for Forest Economics, 2nd floor, Tennenbacher Str. 4.
12.12.00
Vorbesprechung1. Overview of the Course
2. Discussion of Basic Concepts: Certification and Policy
3. What questions should we ask if we seek to understand certification from a public policy perspective?
09.02.00 (starting about 20:00 and ending about 22:00)
The General Nature of Forest CertificationRequired
Additional Information:
10.02.00 (starting
about 9:00, taking a substantial lunch break, and ending about 17:30)
Certification and
Sustainable Development
This
section examines the question of what effects forest certification can
potentially have in the process of sustainable development. It will look at how
a primarily technical process can have far-reaching impacts on socio-political
processes with particular emphasis on developing countries.
Guest Instructor: Barbara von Kruedener, GTZ, Eschborn
Required
Additional information
Certification and Equity
Certification may benefit some social interests more than others. This section seeks to clarify who the likely winners and losers are, and what might be done to limit possible inequities.
Required
Required
11.02.2000 (starting about 10:00 and ending about 14:00)
Certification and Law
Although certification is generally described as a "private" and "voluntary" phenomenon, it will certainly interact with legal systems. This section provides a brief overview of the likely ways in which this may occur.
Required
Certification and Democracy
Since certification can serve as an alternate form of public policy making, the seminar concludes by considering its implications for democratic governance.
Required: