Revisiting A Theory of Access: A review

Abstract

A Theory of Access (Ribot and Peluso 2003) was published 15 years ago. With almost 1600 publications citing it, the paper is instrumental in expanding scholarly thinking beyond property by exploring notions of power. We reviewed all available literature that cited A Theory of Access to understand its influence on academic literature. We first analyse literature in relation to other frameworks with similar concerns: (1) entitlements framework, (2) sustainable livelihoods approach, (3) powers of exclusion; and subsequently move to a review of how it has been engaged in broader theoretical and conceptual debates in the social sciences: (4) gender, (5) materiality, (6) property and authority, and (7) power. The analysis shows most of the literature interacts with A Theory of Access superficially. Substantial attempts to address A Theory of Access were varied and often used it to develop other social theory rather than to modify A Theory of Access.

Materializing the blue economy: tuna fisheries and the theory of access in the Western Indian Ocean

“…Other studies have emphasized the role of the biophysical characteristics of terrestrial resources in shaping access policies or influencing access negotiations along the commodity chain (Holland and Lansing 2016;Neimark 2010). A recent review of the theory of access has also suggested a better integration of materiality by either considering it as different to access mechanisms or that mechanisms take into account the agency of things (Myers and Hansen 2019).…”

From Agroforestry to Agroindustry: Smallholder Access to Benefits From Oil Palm in Ghana and the Implications for Sustainability Certification

“…Ribot and Peluso (2003) state that the mechanisms are not comprehensive, fixed or unique, rather the authors highlight the role of actor "agency" in pursuing different strategies to gain access, i.e., they emphasize the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices (Barker, 2003). In this way, the theory of access engages with questions of power, addressing the powers actors wield to enable them derive benefit from things (Myers and Hansen, 2019).…”

“…We also engage with questions of gender, which a "theory of access" considers under social identity. A growing body of literature has since expanded on the role of gender in shaping people's ability to benefit from things (Myers and Hansen, 2019). As this literature makes clear, gender, power, and property are closely linked, since power is exercised differently by women and men in negotiating property relations (Rocheleau and Edmunds, 1997;Lawry et al, 2017).…”

“…While the body of literature referring to a "theory of access" continues to grow (Myers and Hansen, 2019), the unique contribution of this paper is to apply these concepts to both palm oil production and its certification in order to unpack the universalising logics of sustainable tropical commodity production. Such understanding is critical, given its growing relevance to smallholder livelihoods the world over, and growing international demand for environmentally and socially responsible production systems.…”

Silent Expansion of Oil Palm Plantation: The Tragedy of Access Between Bundle of Right and Power

“…The debate between rights and access towards resources (in this paper is the land) is a binary debate in the space between the bundle of rights vs bundle of power (Ribot & Peluso 2003;Sikor &Lund 2009;Myers & Hansen 2019). In the context of this paper, the expansion of oil palm plantations is analyzed through the relation between access-property with power-authority (Sikor & Lund 2009).…”