The (In)Ability of a Multi-Stakeholder Platform to Address Land Conflicts—Lessons Learnt from an Oil Palm Landscape in Myanmar

Lara M. Lundsgaard-Hansen (), Christoph Oberlack, Glenn Hunt and Flurina Schneider
Additional contact information
Lara M. Lundsgaard-Hansen: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Christoph Oberlack: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Glenn Hunt: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Flurina Schneider: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-40

Abstract: Oil palm landscapes are often characterised by land conflicts. Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSP) may be a promising means to contribute to conflict resolution. However, the merits of MSPs are limited in contexts with strong power imbalances and entrenched conflict histories. This study analyses an MSP from Myanmar. We developed an analytical framework based on literature on MSPs and social learning and used qualitative methods such as participatory observation and interviews. The study investigates how the MSP was designed and governed and whether it was effective in addressing the land conflicts around oil palm concessions. The study discusses several promising factors of the MSP for being effective, such as adequate inclusion of stakeholders, secured resources, or effective facilitation. However, the analysis also reveals how hindering factors such as lack of a clear mandate, goal, and decision-making competences of the MSP, insufficient communication, or lack of legal and land governance expertise contributed to only limited effectiveness of the MSP. Further, we discuss whether the MSP was a suitable approach in the given context of nontransparent land governance mechanisms, persisting power disparities, and longstanding conflict history. We conclude that designing and governing an MSP in such a context needs to be done very cautiously—if at all—and recommend paying special attention to ten specific points.

Keywords: Myanmar; Burma; oil palm; land conflict; concession; multi-stakeholder platform; social learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/8/1348/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/8/1348/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:8:p:1348-:d:891858

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().