The diffusion of the concept of ecosystem services in Argentina. Scopes and resistances

Abstract

Since the 1990s, an epistemic community of ecologists and economists has promoted the monetary valuation of nature to demonstrate that conservation is economically rational. Their concept of «ecosystem services» is part of an international proliferation of concepts that seek to incorporate principles of sustainability in policies and decision-making processes. This article advances understanding of the political impact of such conceptual innovation. We focus on the case of Argentina to understand the extent to which the concept of ecosystem services has achieved political influence and generated practical changes. Based on interviews with 29 key informants and qualitative document analysis, we observe shallow institutionalization and limited national diffusion. We explain this with reference to the condition of «normative fit», which suggests that states will only institutionalize and implement new ideas when they «fit» with existing domestic conditions. The lack of such fit limits the political impact of ecosystem services in Argentina.