Theinstitutionalization process of the «Forest Law» in Buenos Aires province, Argentina (2009-2016): an analysis through the politicized IAD framework

Abstract

In this article we analyze the institutionalization process of the «Forest Law « in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina (2009-2016). It is a public policy that regulates the forms of use and appropriation of the native forests of the province. Through the politicized IAD framework, we identify and characterize the action arenas constituted at the operational level and at the decisional level, analyzing the action situation and the actors participating in it. Data were produced through the ethnographic approach (semi-structured and in-depth interviews with the different social actors), complemented by a documentary analysis of secondary sources. We present evidence of the ways multiple action arenas are constituted in the production of environmental public policies, we show that public policies are the result of disputes and negotiations between state and non-state actors that seek access to decision-making spaces in pursuit of specific interests, and we highlight some of the ways in which statehoods are produced.