Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI) Research Programme
Principal Investigators: Jesse Ribot (University of Illinois), James Murombedzi (CODESRIA), Ebrima Sall (CODESRIA), and Edmund Barrow (IUCN)
The Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI) was a 5-year, 14-country, comparative research and training program, focusing on environmental governance in Africa. The RFGI is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and executed by the Council for the Development of Social Sciences Research in Africa (CODESRIA), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. The initiative was coordinated by a team of four co-directors, three postdoctoral fellows, and thirty-four researchers working in twelve African countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda -- and two additional cases in Nepal and Peru.
RFGI was designed to research “responsive and accountable decentralization” in forestry, so as to strengthen the representation of forest-based rural populations in decision-making. The program worked to identify ways to enhance responsive and adaptive governance processes that reduce vulnerability, enhance wellbeing, and improve forest management. Responsive and adaptive governance are crucial to equitable and sustainable strategies for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD), and for promoting climate adaptation.
The Initiative trained young, in-country policy researchers in order to build an Africa-wide network of environmental governance analysts. RFGI also invited independently funded researchers from other regions of the world to participate in the program. The results from Africa are compared in the RFGI publications with results from studies carried out by collaborators in Asia and South America to enhance RFGI comparative scope, and to broaden its geographic policy relevance.
RFGI Outputs (see related documents below)
-
Special Issue on RFGI Research in the Journal Conservation & Society January 2018 (in pubs below)
-
Policy Brief Based on RFGI Research Published
-
Other Related Publications & Documents (scroll down to past Working Papers)
-
RFGI Newsletters
Status: Completed – although a second phase RFGI type initiative is under development.
Note that publications listed below will also be found under other projects since publications have been matched to as many projects as they are relevant to. The Institutional Choice and Recognition research page and the EAA pages are closely related to this work -- democracy and environment. The Working Papers RFGI are only listed here. They have not been listed in other research projects. Please also note that the link to spinoff publications above will lead you to over 100 additional excellent papers by the RFGI team.
Working Papers
RFGI Working Paper 18
Billy Kakelengwa Mbilizi et Aphonse Maindo Monga Ngonga. 2015. Déficit de redevabilité dans la gestion dela rente forestière communautaire Le cas de Yasekwe en Province Orientale(République démocratique du Congo). James Murombedzi, Jesse Ribot et Gretchen Walters (eds.) Document De Travail Du RFGI (18). CODESRIA: Dakar.
RFGI Working Paper 19
Eteme, David. 2015. Gouvernance de la redevance forestière annuelle et citoyenneté au Cameroun Analyse des dynamiques locales autour de la redevabilitéet leçons pour la REDD+. James Murombedzi, Jesse Ribot et Gretchen Walters (eds.) Document De Travail Du RFGI (19). CODESRIA: Dakar.
RFGI Working Paper 21
Makalamba, Patrick Matata et Phil René Oyono. 2015. Choix institutionnel, gestion autoritaireet privatisation de la rente forestière communautaire en Province Orientale(République démocratique du Congo). James Murombedzi, Jesse Ribot et Gretchen Walters (eds.) Document De Travail Du RFGI (21). CODESRIA: Dakar.
RFGI Working Paper 28
Osei-Wusu Adjei, Prince. 2015. Decentralization, Institutional Choice and the Production of Disgruntled Community Representation under the Modified Taungya Forest Management System in Ghana. James Murombedzi, Jesse Ribot and Gretchen Walters (eds.) RFGI Working Paper (28). CODESRIA: Dakar.
RFGI Working Paper 35
Barrow,Edmund, Gretchen Walters, Barbara Nakangu, Kenneth Angu Angu, Saadia Bobtoya, Regina Cruz, Sophie Kutegeka, Moumini Savado. 2016. RFGI Handbook II: Implementing Improved Natural Resources Governance in Practice. James Murombedzi, Jesse Ribot and Gretchen Walters (eds.) RFGI Working Paper (35). CODESRIA: Dakar.
Related Documents
BOOKS & SPECIAL ISSUES
BOOKS & SPECIAL ISSUES
Ece, Melis, James Murombedzi and Jesse Ribot (eds.). 2017. “Disempowering Democracy: Local Representation in Community and Carbon Forestry in Africa,” Conservation and Society. 15(4): 357-370. Special Issue on Rights, Representation and REDD+. This is a collection of seven articles from seven researchers in the five-year thirteen-country thirty-five case study comparative research program the Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI). More details under RESEARCH/RFGI tabs.
POLICY RESEARCH BRIEFS
POLICY RESEARCH BRIEFS
Ribot, Jesse. 2017. ‘Choose Democracy: Guidance for Democratizing through Natural Resource Management Interventions,’ a Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI) policy brief of the Swedish International Center for Local Democracy (ICLD) with CODESRIA, IUCN and University of Illinois [Also available in French 2018 as ‘Choisir la démocratie : la gestion des ressources naturelles pour les décideurs, bailleurs de fonds, et agents de terrain’].
WORKING PAPERS
WORKING PAPERS
Ribot, Jesse. 2015. ‘Leveraging Local Democracy through Forestry.’ A Natural Resource Management Implementation Policy Brief and Handbook. Responsive Forest Governance Initiative, CODESRIA, IUCN and University of Illinois
BOOK REVIEWS, FORWARDS, AND NON-REVIEWED ARTICLES
BOOK REVIEWS, FORWARDS, AND NON-REVIEWED ARTICLES
Ribot, Jesse. 2014. “Responsive Forest Governance Initiative (RFGI): A Research Update” Perspectives: Research Notes & News. Vol. 32, No. 1. See RESEARCH/RFGI page.