The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics

Benjamin Olken, Stefanie Sieber, Matthew Hansen and Peter Potapov
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Robin Burgess

No 9020, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Tropical deforestation accounts for almost one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and threatens the world's most diverse ecosystems. The prevalence of illegal forest extraction in the tropics suggests that understanding the incentives of local bureaucrats and politicians who enforce forest policy may be critical to combating tropical deforestation. We find support for this thesis using a novel satellite-based dataset that tracks annual changes in forest cover across eight years of institutional change in post-Soeharto Indonesia. Increases in the numbers of political jurisdictions are associated with increased deforestation and with lower prices in local wood markets, consistent with a model of Cournot competition between jurisdictions. We also show that illegal logging and rents from unevenly distributed oil and gas revenues are short run substitutes, but this effect disappears over time as political turnover occurs. The results illustrate how incentives faced by local government o¢ cials affect deforestation, and provide an example of how standard economic theories can explain illegal behavior.

Keywords: Political economy; Corruption; Deforestation; Cournot competition; Satellite imagery; Environmental monitoring; Illegal logging; Climate change; Biodiversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D73 L73 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env, nep-pol and nep-sea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (199)

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics (2012)
Working Paper: The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics (2012)
Working Paper: The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics (2012)
Working Paper: The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics (2012)
Working Paper: The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics (2011)
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