This paper has been prepared for the Policy and Institutions Branch of the Forestry Department of FAO. Its purpose is to review available information on public policies and cross sector linkages which are important in the context of forest conservation and forestry development. The paper identifies alternative methodological approaches for further investigations and discusses their usefulness for case studies at country and regional levels.
Cross-sector linkages are defined as influences from public policies others than forest policy which have an immediate or indirect influence on the behaviour of land owners, forest users, governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations, and through such agents on forest land uses and sustainable forestry practices. The definition puts emphasis on policy formation and implementation processes. It enhances analysis of the combined outcomes and impacts from laws and policies that address economic, social and environmental issues that influence political decisions on forests and forestry development
With regard to subsequent country specific studies on relevant external policies and on specific linkages with national forest policy programs the paper proposes an integrative research approach based on a combination of elements such as content analysis of relevant legislation, policy programs, and sector studies; interviews with experts and representatives from the forest administration; and interviews with and/or participating observation of users, land owners and forestry managers.
Keywords: cross-sector linkages; inter-policy approaches; network management; inter-administrative co-ordination; public policy analysis
