Colonial hangover and institutional bricolage processes in forest use practices in Cameroon

Kimengsi, Jude Ndzifon; Balgah, Roland Azibo

doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102406

Cited by 29 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Therefore, despite its seemingly endogenous and perennial nature today, it could be viewed as exogenous (albeit informal), based on its origin. This justifies earlier claims that institutions that existed in former British Cameroons (Mamfe being part) were more robust and perennial in nature, than those in other areas (Kimengsi & Balgah, 2021). The breakdown of ECIs (informal institutions) has been largely attributed to the importation and transplant of exogenous formal ones.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…This research is a follow-up study on a previous research on institutional bricolage and forest use practices in Cameroon (see Kimengsi & Balgah, 2021) within the framework of the CAMFORST Project (for details, see: https://tu-dresden.de/forst/camforst). The previous study establishes the practice of bricoleurs as they draw from a range of formal and informal institutions to justify and navigate their forest use practices, but did not answer the question: what is left of protected area linked endogenous cultural institutions?…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides, previous empirical studies further informed the study sites selection: For instance, between December 2017 and January 2018, and from March to May 2020, data was obtained around the Bakossi and Santchou protected areas, on socially embedded customary rules that regulate forest use. This process further informed the selection of study sites (for details, please see Kimengsi & Balgah, 2021).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Institutions could be viewed from several lenses: For instance, based on formality, formal institutions encompass written and codified laws, largely driven by national governments, while informal ones relate to unwritten or uncodified rules that are communicated through beliefs, customs and traditions, over generations (Osei-Tutu, 2017;Osei-Tutu et al, 2015;Yeboah-Assiamah et al, 2017). A more recent classification on the basis of timespan presents institutions as ephemeral, 1 very short-term arrangements made by resource management actors to minimize conflicts; partially enduring, arrangements that served as norms for a while but fizzle out as new actors take central stage (Kimengsi & Balgah, 2021;Kimengsi et al, 2021b); and enduring, where such institutions are codified (in the case of formal) and/or enforced beyond physical to include strong spiritual processes (Kimengsi & Balgah, 2017;Ostrom, 1990). The endogenous-exogenous dichotomy presents institutions introduced by the state and international agencies as exogenous in nature, while complex and embedded rules that are specific to communities and sometimes difficult to comprehend by external actors, are endogenous (Yeboah-Assiamah et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fractionalization indices range from 0 (when all individuals are members of the same cultural group) to 1 (when each individual belongs to his or her own group) (Drazanova, 2020). 3 Drawing from literature which holds that endogenous cultural institutions in SSA have been significantly broken down, transformed, and/or eroded by several forces ( (Chabwela & Haller, 2010;Ensminger, 1997;Haller et al, 2018;Kimengsi & Balgah, 2021), we consider the remnants as the last vestiges.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Spatio-temporal analysis of the ‘last vestiges’ of endogenous cultural institutions: implications for Cameroon’s protected areas

2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The theoretical link between endogenous cultural institutions (ECIs) and the regulation of natural resource access and use in sub-Saharan Africa is re-gaining its position in theory and practice. This is partly explained by growing resource use inefficiency, linked to predominantly exogenous, centralized institutions. The current situation has rekindled interest to understand what is left of ECIs that can support natural resource use and management in several natural resource contexts, including protected areas. To provide answers to these questions, in-depth studies with a geographic orientation are required. Put succinctly, a spaio-temporal evidence base of ECIs around protected areas is relevant in today’s dispensation. Such evidence is required for rich natural resource and culturally diverse settings such as Cameroon—having over 250 ethnic groups. This paper explores space time dynamics of ECIs around two of Cameroon’s protected areas—Santchou and Bakossi landscapes. Specifically we: (i) identified and categorized ECIs linked to protected area management, (ii) analyzed their spatio-temporal dynamics and discuss their implications for protected area management. The study is informed by key informant interviews (N = 22) and focus group discussions (N = 6). Using descriptive statistics, the key resources around these protected areas were categorized. Furthermore, narratives and thematic analysis constituted the key element of qualitative analysis. In addition, an analysis of the spatial distribution of ECIs was conducted. Based on our analysis, we derived the following conclusions: (1) Institutions that assume an endogenous cultural nature in some communities potentially exhibit an exogenous origin with a perennial nature; while some ECIs may assume ephemeral to intermittent nature, despite being culturally embedded in communities. (2) While present day ECIs regulate the use of natural resources around protected areas, they were not initially set up for this purpose. (3) Even within the same ethnic group, ECIs exhibit spatio-temporal variations. The results suggest the need for Cameroon’s on-going revision of the legal framework to emphasize context-specific elements of ECI which could leverage protected area management.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Spatio-temporal analysis of the ‘last vestiges’ of endogenous cultural institutions: implications for Cameroon’s protected areas

2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The interactive effect of endogenous and exogenous institutions on forest use practices in socio-culturally diverse landscapes of Cameroon

Mukong,

Kimengsi,

Alusoh

2023

Environ Dev Sustain

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In resource-dependent communities of sub-Saharan Africa, it is widely held that endogenous institutions either countervail or complement exogenous institutions, indicating inconsistency in empirical evidence. This has re-ignited interest to establish the independent and/or interactive effect of both endogenous and exogenous institutional structures. This paper quantitatively analyses the independent and interactive effects of community-based (endogenous) and state-based (exogenous) forest management institutions (FMIs) on the exploitation of forest resources, drawing from a representative sample of 446 households from three socio-culturally diverse landscapes of Cameroon. The paper introduces a multiplicative interaction term and used the heteroscedasticity-based instrumental variables approach to estimate the direct and indirect effects of exogenous and endogenous institutions on the behaviour of users of forest-based resources. The results indicate that: (i) Both exogenous structures of FMIs and the interaction term significantly constrain the extractive behaviour of forest resource users; (ii) endogenous structures and not rules are vital in improving the role of exogenous structures in forest resource management; (iii) while traditional rules are less significant in shaping forest resource exploitation, their effectiveness is highly significant across the study sites and (iv) institutional compatibility and complementarity was observed in landscapes that were formerly shaped by British colonial influence (Bakossi and Kilum-Ijim). This paper does not only establish the relative influence of exogenous and endogenous FMIs, it also highlights future research pathways on institutional change in the context of environmental resource management in sub-Saharan Africa.

show abstract

Power and conviction dynamics on land and linked natural resources: explorative insights from the greater south region of Cameroon

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Communities in several parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) depend on natural resources for their sustenance. While growing pressure on such resources has been accused of framing conflicts, the power and convictions dimension of such conflicts remains relatively less explored. Taking the case of Cameroon, this paper undertakes an explorative analysis of power and convictions around land and linked natural resources. Specifically, the paper maps harmful convictions and their role in steering unequal access to land and linked natural resources; explores power manifestations among different categories of resource use actors; and discusses the role of different typologies of actors in shaping harmful convictions linked to land and other natural resources. Qualitative data derived from four communities in the greater south region informed this study: focus group discussions (14), key informants, and expert interviews (25) were employed. Using the actor-centred power analytical lens, the analysis entailed the use of directed content analysis, thematic analysis and narratives. The results indicate the following: Firstly, while ethnic/region-based and elitism-based harmful convictions significantly drive land resource access, gender-based and religious-based convictions are less recurrent. Secondly, while elitism-based actors exercise power through coercion, religious and political actors employ (dis)incentives and dominant information, respectively, in their quest for forestland. Thirdly, elitism-based and ethnic/region-based actors are at the centre of harmful convictions around land and linked natural resources. The results inform the actor-centred power concept, with emphasis on convictions around land and linked natural resources. Future studies should explore the conflict implications of these harmful convictions.

show abstract

Colonial hangover and institutional bricolage processes in forest use practices in Cameroon

Cited by 29 publications

References 28 publications

Spatio-temporal analysis of the ‘last vestiges’ of endogenous cultural institutions: implications for Cameroon’s protected areas

Spatio-temporal analysis of the ‘last vestiges’ of endogenous cultural institutions: implications for Cameroon’s protected areas

The interactive effect of endogenous and exogenous institutions on forest use practices in socio-culturally diverse landscapes of Cameroon

Power and conviction dynamics on land and linked natural resources: explorative insights from the greater south region of Cameroon

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About