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Dr. Christoph Oberlack
Centre for Development and Environment, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland

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0 Teaching methods
0 polycentric governance
0 Land use in telecoupled systems
0 Large-scale land acquisitions, beyond land grabbing
0 Governance of climate change adaptation

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polycentric governance
Land use in telecoupled systems
Large-scale land acquisitions, beyond land grabbing

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Special issue article
Published: 06 March 2020 in The European Journal of Development Research
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Competition over land is at the core of many sustainable development challenges in Myanmar: villagers, companies, governments, ethnic minority groups, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations from local to the international level claim access to and decision-making power over the use of land. Therefore, this article investigates the actor interactions influencing land-use changes and their impacts on the supply of ecosystem services and human well-being. We utilise a transdisciplinary mixed-methods approach and the analytical lens of the social-ecological systems framework. Results reveal that the links between land-use changes, ecosystem services and human well-being are multifaceted; For example ecosystem services can decline, while human well-being increases. We explain this finding through three different pathways to impact (changes in the resource systems, the governance systems or the broader social, economic and political context). We conclude with implications of these results for future sustainable land governance.

ACS Style

Flurina Schneider; Melanie Feurer; Lara Maria Lundsgaard-Hansen; Win Myint; Cing Don Nuam; Katharina Nydegger; Christoph Oberlack; Nwe Nwe Tun; Julie Gwendolin Zaehringer; Aung Myin Tun; Peter Messerli. Sustainable Development Under Competing Claims on Land: Three Pathways Between Land-Use Changes, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being. The European Journal of Development Research 2020, 32, 316 -337.

AMA Style

Flurina Schneider, Melanie Feurer, Lara Maria Lundsgaard-Hansen, Win Myint, Cing Don Nuam, Katharina Nydegger, Christoph Oberlack, Nwe Nwe Tun, Julie Gwendolin Zaehringer, Aung Myin Tun, Peter Messerli. Sustainable Development Under Competing Claims on Land: Three Pathways Between Land-Use Changes, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being. The European Journal of Development Research. 2020; 32 (2):316-337.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Flurina Schneider; Melanie Feurer; Lara Maria Lundsgaard-Hansen; Win Myint; Cing Don Nuam; Katharina Nydegger; Christoph Oberlack; Nwe Nwe Tun; Julie Gwendolin Zaehringer; Aung Myin Tun; Peter Messerli. 2020. "Sustainable Development Under Competing Claims on Land: Three Pathways Between Land-Use Changes, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being." The European Journal of Development Research 32, no. 2: 316-337.

Journal article
Published: 17 February 2020 in International Journal of the Commons
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ACS Style

Allain J. Barnett; Stefan Partelow; Ulrich Frey; Alejandro García-Lozano; Maria Del Mar Mancha-Cisneros; Christoph Oberlack; Elicia Ratajczyk; Hillary Smith; Sergio Villamayor-Tomás; Charlotte K. Whitney. Defining Success in the Commons: Addressing Problem Orientations, Multidimensionality, Norms, and Tradeoffs. International Journal of the Commons 2020, 14, 366 .

AMA Style

Allain J. Barnett, Stefan Partelow, Ulrich Frey, Alejandro García-Lozano, Maria Del Mar Mancha-Cisneros, Christoph Oberlack, Elicia Ratajczyk, Hillary Smith, Sergio Villamayor-Tomás, Charlotte K. Whitney. Defining Success in the Commons: Addressing Problem Orientations, Multidimensionality, Norms, and Tradeoffs. International Journal of the Commons. 2020; 14 (1):366.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Allain J. Barnett; Stefan Partelow; Ulrich Frey; Alejandro García-Lozano; Maria Del Mar Mancha-Cisneros; Christoph Oberlack; Elicia Ratajczyk; Hillary Smith; Sergio Villamayor-Tomás; Charlotte K. Whitney. 2020. "Defining Success in the Commons: Addressing Problem Orientations, Multidimensionality, Norms, and Tradeoffs." International Journal of the Commons 14, no. 1: 366.

Comments
Published: 02 January 2020 in Journal of Land Use Science
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Engaging with normative questions in land system science is a key challenge. This debate paper highlights the potential of incorporating elements of environmental justice scholarship into the evolving telecoupling framework that focuses on distant interactions in land systems. We first expose the reasons why environmental justice matters in understanding telecoupled systems, and the relevant approaches suited to mainstream environmental justice into telecoupled contexts. We then explore which specific elements of environmental justice need to be incorporated into telecoupling research. We focus on 1) the distribution of social-ecological burdens and benefits across distances, 2) power and justice issues in governing distantly tied systems, and 3) recognition issues in information flows, framings and discourses across distances. We conclude our paper highlighting key mechanisms to address injustices in telecoupled land systems.

ACS Style

Sébastien Boillat; Adrian Martin; Timothy Adams; Desiree Daniel; Jorge Llopis; Elena Zepharovich; Christoph Oberlack; Gabi Sonderegger; Patrick Bottazzi; Esteve Corbera; Chinwe Ifejika Speranza; Unai Pascual. Why telecoupling research needs to account for environmental justice. Journal of Land Use Science 2020, 15, 1 -10.

AMA Style

Sébastien Boillat, Adrian Martin, Timothy Adams, Desiree Daniel, Jorge Llopis, Elena Zepharovich, Christoph Oberlack, Gabi Sonderegger, Patrick Bottazzi, Esteve Corbera, Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, Unai Pascual. Why telecoupling research needs to account for environmental justice. Journal of Land Use Science. 2020; 15 (1):1-10.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sébastien Boillat; Adrian Martin; Timothy Adams; Desiree Daniel; Jorge Llopis; Elena Zepharovich; Christoph Oberlack; Gabi Sonderegger; Patrick Bottazzi; Esteve Corbera; Chinwe Ifejika Speranza; Unai Pascual. 2020. "Why telecoupling research needs to account for environmental justice." Journal of Land Use Science 15, no. 1: 1-10.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2020 in Ecology and Society
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Tribaldos, T., C. Oberlack, and F. Schneider. 2020. Impact through participatory research approaches: an archetype analysis. Ecology and Society 25(3):15. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11517-250315

ACS Style

Theresa Tribaldos; Christoph Oberlack; Flurina Schneider. Impact through participatory research approaches: an archetype analysis. Ecology and Society 2020, 25, 1 .

AMA Style

Theresa Tribaldos, Christoph Oberlack, Flurina Schneider. Impact through participatory research approaches: an archetype analysis. Ecology and Society. 2020; 25 (3):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Theresa Tribaldos; Christoph Oberlack; Flurina Schneider. 2020. "Impact through participatory research approaches: an archetype analysis." Ecology and Society 25, no. 3: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2019 in Environmental Science & Policy
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ACS Style

Elke Kellner; Christoph Oberlack; Jean-David Gerber. Polycentric governance compensates for incoherence of resource regimes: The case of water uses under climate change in Oberhasli, Switzerland. Environmental Science & Policy 2019, 100, 126 -135.

AMA Style

Elke Kellner, Christoph Oberlack, Jean-David Gerber. Polycentric governance compensates for incoherence of resource regimes: The case of water uses under climate change in Oberhasli, Switzerland. Environmental Science & Policy. 2019; 100 ():126-135.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elke Kellner; Christoph Oberlack; Jean-David Gerber. 2019. "Polycentric governance compensates for incoherence of resource regimes: The case of water uses under climate change in Oberhasli, Switzerland." Environmental Science & Policy 100, no. : 126-135.

Review article
Published: 01 August 2019 in Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
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The food systems upon which humanity depends face multiple interdependent environmental, social and economic threats in the 21st Century. Yet, the governance of these systems, which determines to a large extent the ability to adapt and transform in response to these challenges, is underresearched. This perspective piece synthesises the findings of two recent reviews of food systems governance and transformations and proposes a comprehensive research agenda for the coming years. These reviews highlight the influence of governance on food systems, methodological obstacles to explaining the effectiveness of governance in realising food sustainability, and conditions that have historically supported food system transformations. We argue that the following steps are key to improving our knowledge of the role of governance in food systems: (1) developing more comparable research designs for building generalisable explanations of the governance elements that are most effective in realising food systems goals; (2) using the lens of polycentricity to help disentangle complex governance networks; (3) giving greater attention to the conditions and pre-conditions associated with historical food system transformations; (4) identifying adaptations that strengthen or weaken path dependency; and, (5) focusing research on how transformations can be supported by institutions that facilitate collective action and stakeholder agency.

ACS Style

Caroline van Bers; Aogán Delaney; Hallie Eakin; Laura Cramer; Mark Purdon; Christoph Oberlack; Tom Evans; Claudia Pahl-Wostl; Siri Eriksen; Lindsey Jones; Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki; Ioannis Vasileiou. Advancing the research agenda on food systems governance and transformation. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2019, 39, 94 -102.

AMA Style

Caroline van Bers, Aogán Delaney, Hallie Eakin, Laura Cramer, Mark Purdon, Christoph Oberlack, Tom Evans, Claudia Pahl-Wostl, Siri Eriksen, Lindsey Jones, Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki, Ioannis Vasileiou. Advancing the research agenda on food systems governance and transformation. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 2019; 39 ():94-102.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Caroline van Bers; Aogán Delaney; Hallie Eakin; Laura Cramer; Mark Purdon; Christoph Oberlack; Tom Evans; Claudia Pahl-Wostl; Siri Eriksen; Lindsey Jones; Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki; Ioannis Vasileiou. 2019. "Advancing the research agenda on food systems governance and transformation." Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 39, no. : 94-102.

Book chapter
Published: 30 April 2019 in The Commons in a Glocal World
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ACS Style

Markus Giger; Kerstin Nolte; Ward Anseeuw; Thomas Breu; Wytske Chamberlain; Peter Messerli; Christoph Oberlack; Tobias Haller. Impacts of large-scale land acquisitions on common-pool resources. The Commons in a Glocal World 2019, 257 -279.

AMA Style

Markus Giger, Kerstin Nolte, Ward Anseeuw, Thomas Breu, Wytske Chamberlain, Peter Messerli, Christoph Oberlack, Tobias Haller. Impacts of large-scale land acquisitions on common-pool resources. The Commons in a Glocal World. 2019; ():257-279.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Markus Giger; Kerstin Nolte; Ward Anseeuw; Thomas Breu; Wytske Chamberlain; Peter Messerli; Christoph Oberlack; Tobias Haller. 2019. "Impacts of large-scale land acquisitions on common-pool resources." The Commons in a Glocal World , no. : 257-279.

Journal article
Published: 28 February 2019 in Resources Policy
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Many resource-rich countries face the paradoxical situation that their wealth in natural resources coincides with low economic and human development rates. To address this so-called resource curse, academics and practitioners turn their hopes to institutional quality. Yet whether, how and with what consequences institutional quality is transformed in resource curse contexts remains poorly understood, especially so at subnational levels. The most widely implemented initiative that seeks to address the resource curse through enhanced institutional quality is the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). This article analyses to what extent and how the EITI transforms institutional quality at national and subnational levels in Myanmar, focusing on transparency, civil society participation and accountability. We show that many transformations go beyond the official EITI process and report. While the EITI report itself is not heavily used by civil society organisations (CSOs), the EITI process motivated CSOs to gather data and organise themselves both around and beyond EITI-related issues at subnational levels. Such participatory processes of constituting transparency improved relations between the (regional) government, CSOs and private companies, but also created new forms of in- and exclusion among civil society. While avenues opened up for CSOs to demand accountability regarding the impacts of resource extraction, the extent to which they are able to trigger action of extractive industry actors in their region remains limited. In conclusion, we argue that transformations in institutional quality are not characterised by a linear trajectory from transparency in the form of the EITI report to accountability, facilitated by civil society participation in EITI multi-stakeholder groups, as the EITI standard posits. Rather, transformations in institutional quality are characterised by spin-offs, dynamic interlinkages, trade-offs, limitations and a reinforcing cycle between participation and transparency within and beyond the EITI.

ACS Style

Marjanneke J. Vijge; Robin Metcalfe; Linda Wallbott; Christoph Oberlack. Transforming institutional quality in resource curse contexts: The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in Myanmar. Resources Policy 2019, 61, 200 -209.

AMA Style

Marjanneke J. Vijge, Robin Metcalfe, Linda Wallbott, Christoph Oberlack. Transforming institutional quality in resource curse contexts: The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in Myanmar. Resources Policy. 2019; 61 ():200-209.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marjanneke J. Vijge; Robin Metcalfe; Linda Wallbott; Christoph Oberlack. 2019. "Transforming institutional quality in resource curse contexts: The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in Myanmar." Resources Policy 61, no. : 200-209.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2019 in Ecology and Society
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ACS Style

Klaus Eisenack; Sergio Villamayor-Tomas; Graham Epstein; Christian Kimmich; Nicholas Magliocca; David Manuel-Navarrete; Christoph Oberlack; Matteo Roggero; Diana Sietz. Design and quality criteria for archetype analysis. Ecology and Society 2019, 24, 1 .

AMA Style

Klaus Eisenack, Sergio Villamayor-Tomas, Graham Epstein, Christian Kimmich, Nicholas Magliocca, David Manuel-Navarrete, Christoph Oberlack, Matteo Roggero, Diana Sietz. Design and quality criteria for archetype analysis. Ecology and Society. 2019; 24 (3):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Klaus Eisenack; Sergio Villamayor-Tomas; Graham Epstein; Christian Kimmich; Nicholas Magliocca; David Manuel-Navarrete; Christoph Oberlack; Matteo Roggero; Diana Sietz. 2019. "Design and quality criteria for archetype analysis." Ecology and Society 24, no. 3: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2019 in Ecology and Society
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Pedde, S., K. Kok, K. Hölscher, C. Oberlack, P. A. Harrison, and R. Leemans. 2019. Archetyping shared socioeconomic pathways across scales: an application to central Asia and European case studies. Ecology and Society 24(4):30. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11241-240430

ACS Style

Simona Pedde; Kasper Kok; Katharina Hölscher; Christoph Oberlack; Paula A. Harrison; Rik Leemans. Archetyping shared socioeconomic pathways across scales: an application to central Asia and European case studies. Ecology and Society 2019, 24, 1 .

AMA Style

Simona Pedde, Kasper Kok, Katharina Hölscher, Christoph Oberlack, Paula A. Harrison, Rik Leemans. Archetyping shared socioeconomic pathways across scales: an application to central Asia and European case studies. Ecology and Society. 2019; 24 (4):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simona Pedde; Kasper Kok; Katharina Hölscher; Christoph Oberlack; Paula A. Harrison; Rik Leemans. 2019. "Archetyping shared socioeconomic pathways across scales: an application to central Asia and European case studies." Ecology and Society 24, no. 4: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2019 in Ecology and Society
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Oberlack, C., D. Sietz, E. Bürgi Bonanomi, A. De Bremond, J. Dell'Angelo, K. Eisenack, E. C. Ellis, G. Epstein, M. Giger, A. Heinimann, C. Kimmich, M. T. J. Kok, D. Manuel-Navarrete, P. Messerli, P. Meyfroidt, T. Václavík, and S. Villamayor-Tomas. 2019. Archetype analysis in sustainability research: meanings, motivations, and evidence-based policy making. Ecology and Society 24(2):26. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10747-240226

ACS Style

Christoph Oberlack; Diana Sietz; Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi; Ariane De Bremond; Jampel Dell'angelo; Klaus Eisenack; Erle C. Ellis; Graham Epstein; Markus Giger; Andreas Heinimann; Christian Kimmich; Marcel Tj Kok; David Manuel-Navarrete; Peter Messerli; Patrick Meyfroidt; Tomas Vaclavik; Sergio Villamayor-Tomas. Archetype analysis in sustainability research: meanings, motivations, and evidence-based policy making. Ecology and Society 2019, 24, 1 .

AMA Style

Christoph Oberlack, Diana Sietz, Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi, Ariane De Bremond, Jampel Dell'angelo, Klaus Eisenack, Erle C. Ellis, Graham Epstein, Markus Giger, Andreas Heinimann, Christian Kimmich, Marcel Tj Kok, David Manuel-Navarrete, Peter Messerli, Patrick Meyfroidt, Tomas Vaclavik, Sergio Villamayor-Tomas. Archetype analysis in sustainability research: meanings, motivations, and evidence-based policy making. Ecology and Society. 2019; 24 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Oberlack; Diana Sietz; Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi; Ariane De Bremond; Jampel Dell'angelo; Klaus Eisenack; Erle C. Ellis; Graham Epstein; Markus Giger; Andreas Heinimann; Christian Kimmich; Marcel Tj Kok; David Manuel-Navarrete; Peter Messerli; Patrick Meyfroidt; Tomas Vaclavik; Sergio Villamayor-Tomas. 2019. "Archetype analysis in sustainability research: meanings, motivations, and evidence-based policy making." Ecology and Society 24, no. 2: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2019 in GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society
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Science-based initiatives generate particular changes towards sustainable development. But why and how does this work? Theories of change (ToCs) can help in understanding the theoretical assumptions and modes of knowledge production associated with these initiatives: ToCs trigger debate among the stakeholders and evaluators of an initiative regarding the hypothesized and observed effects of actions as well as regarding underlying assumptions about how change happens. Therefore, they can strengthen the effectiveness of research, practice, and education in sustainability science.

ACS Style

Christoph Oberlack; Thomas Breu; Markus Giger; Nicole Harari; Karl Herweg; Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel; Peter Messerli; Stephanie Moser; Cordula Ott; Isabelle Providoli; Theresa Tribaldos; Anne Zimmermann; Flurina Schneider. Theories of change in sustainability science: Understanding how change happens. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 2019, 28, 106 -111.

AMA Style

Christoph Oberlack, Thomas Breu, Markus Giger, Nicole Harari, Karl Herweg, Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel, Peter Messerli, Stephanie Moser, Cordula Ott, Isabelle Providoli, Theresa Tribaldos, Anne Zimmermann, Flurina Schneider. Theories of change in sustainability science: Understanding how change happens. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society. 2019; 28 (2):106-111.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Oberlack; Thomas Breu; Markus Giger; Nicole Harari; Karl Herweg; Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel; Peter Messerli; Stephanie Moser; Cordula Ott; Isabelle Providoli; Theresa Tribaldos; Anne Zimmermann; Flurina Schneider. 2019. "Theories of change in sustainability science: Understanding how change happens." GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 28, no. 2: 106-111.

Journal article
Published: 30 October 2018 in Sustainability
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Equity has become a major concern in efforts to conserve nature. However, in the Global South, inequitable social impacts of conservation usually prevail. We investigate barriers to equitable governance of four protected areas through an innovative approach linking the tri-dimensional framing of environmental justice with the notion of telecoupling. We conceptualize the creation, support, and implementation of protected areas as telecoupling processes that involve flows, actors, and action situations, and assess them based on a set of indicators of procedural justice, distributive justice, and recognition. We perform the analysis for parallel or competing telecoupling processes that affect the areas and we then investigate the scope and reach of resistance actions to attain more equitable outcomes. Identified barriers include dependence of the PAs on transnational financial flows, presence of competing extractive demands, negative narratives on local practices, wilderness and Malthusian framings, authoritarian rule, narrow development options, and socio-cultural discrimination. These combined barriers create multiple forms of exclusion. Resistance actions are likely to succeed when actors can mobilize alliances and resources across distance. We conclude that justice framings can make power relationships in telecouplings more visible, and that considering distant interactions can elucidate causes of (in)equity in conservation.

ACS Style

Sébastien Boillat; Jean-David Gerber; Christoph Oberlack; Julie Zaehringer; Chinwe Ifejika Speranza; Stephan Rist. Distant Interactions, Power, and Environmental Justice in Protected Area Governance: A Telecoupling Perspective. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3954 .

AMA Style

Sébastien Boillat, Jean-David Gerber, Christoph Oberlack, Julie Zaehringer, Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, Stephan Rist. Distant Interactions, Power, and Environmental Justice in Protected Area Governance: A Telecoupling Perspective. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (11):3954.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sébastien Boillat; Jean-David Gerber; Christoph Oberlack; Julie Zaehringer; Chinwe Ifejika Speranza; Stephan Rist. 2018. "Distant Interactions, Power, and Environmental Justice in Protected Area Governance: A Telecoupling Perspective." Sustainability 10, no. 11: 3954.

Journal article
Published: 22 October 2018 in Sustainability
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Myanmar has experienced profound transformations of land use and land governance, often at the expense of smallholders. Empirical evidence on the agency of actors included and excluded in land use decision-making remains scarce. This study analyses who influences land use decision-making, how they do this, and under what circumstances smallholders are included. Comparing three land use trajectories in southern Myanmar, we analysed actors’ agency—conceived as the meanings and means behind (re)actions—in land use decision-making using data from focus groups and interviews. Results showed that uneven distribution of means can lead to unequal decision-making power, enabling actors with more means to exclude those with less means: smallholders. However, this only applies in the case of top-down interventions with mutually exclusive actor interests regarding use of the same land. Where interests are compatible or a mediator supports smallholders in negotiations, actors are likely to develop a collaboration despite unequal means, leading to smallholders’ inclusion in decision-making. Transformation of current land governance towards sustainable development could be promoted by providing mediators to actors with few means, ensuring equal access for all to formal land tenure, engaging with brokers in the land governance network, and improving access to knowledge and financial capital for actors with few means.

ACS Style

Lara Lundsgaard-Hansen; Flurina Schneider; Julie Zaehringer; Christoph Oberlack; Win Myint; Peter Messerli. Whose Agency Counts in Land Use Decision-Making in Myanmar? A Comparative Analysis of Three Cases in Tanintharyi Region. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3823 .

AMA Style

Lara Lundsgaard-Hansen, Flurina Schneider, Julie Zaehringer, Christoph Oberlack, Win Myint, Peter Messerli. Whose Agency Counts in Land Use Decision-Making in Myanmar? A Comparative Analysis of Three Cases in Tanintharyi Region. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (10):3823.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lara Lundsgaard-Hansen; Flurina Schneider; Julie Zaehringer; Christoph Oberlack; Win Myint; Peter Messerli. 2018. "Whose Agency Counts in Land Use Decision-Making in Myanmar? A Comparative Analysis of Three Cases in Tanintharyi Region." Sustainability 10, no. 10: 3823.

Review
Published: 26 March 2018 in Food Security
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Governance of food systems is a poorly understood determinant of food security. Much scholarship on food systems governance is non-empirical, while existing empirical research is often case study-based and theoretically and methodologically incommensurable. This complicates aggregation of evidence and generalization. This paper presents a review of literature to identify a core set of methodological indicators to study food systems governance in future research. Indicators were identified from literature gathered through a structured consultation and sampling from recent systematic reviews and were classified according to governance levels and the food system activity domain they investigate. We found a concentration of indicators in food production at local to national levels and with less literature investigating how food governance affects food distribution and consumption. Many indicators of institutional structure were found, while indicators capturing social agency and indicators of cross-scale dynamics were moderately represented but critical perspectives on governance were lacking. These gaps present an opportunity for future empirical research to investigate more comprehensively the diverse components of food systems and how governance arrangements at different scales affect them.

ACS Style

Aogán Delaney; Tom Evans; John McGreevy; Jordan Blekking; Tyler Schlachter; Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki; Peter Tamás; Todd A. Crane; Hallie Eakin; Wiebke Förch; Lindsey Jones; Donald R. Nelson; Christoph Oberlack; Mark Purdon; Stephan Rist. Governance of food systems across scales in times of social-ecological change: a review of indicators. Food Security 2018, 10, 287 -310.

AMA Style

Aogán Delaney, Tom Evans, John McGreevy, Jordan Blekking, Tyler Schlachter, Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki, Peter Tamás, Todd A. Crane, Hallie Eakin, Wiebke Förch, Lindsey Jones, Donald R. Nelson, Christoph Oberlack, Mark Purdon, Stephan Rist. Governance of food systems across scales in times of social-ecological change: a review of indicators. Food Security. 2018; 10 (2):287-310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aogán Delaney; Tom Evans; John McGreevy; Jordan Blekking; Tyler Schlachter; Kaisa Korhonen-Kurki; Peter Tamás; Todd A. Crane; Hallie Eakin; Wiebke Förch; Lindsey Jones; Donald R. Nelson; Christoph Oberlack; Mark Purdon; Stephan Rist. 2018. "Governance of food systems across scales in times of social-ecological change: a review of indicators." Food Security 10, no. 2: 287-310.

Journal article
Published: 14 February 2018 in Journal of Institutional Economics
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This article introduces the special issue on climate adaptation and institutions. Economic accounts of climate adaptation have stressed its collective action nature and the limitations of standard economic approaches to the matter. Governance accounts, on their part, have shown that adaptation does not always happen when it is expected. Against this background, institutional economics has the potential to shed light on those societal processes and collective mechanisms leading to and shaping adaptation (or the absence of it). The selection of articles contributing to this special issue shows that climate adaptation can indeed be explored successfully through institutional economics, and that doing so fits well within the institutional economics agenda. Some recommendations for future research are provided at the end.

ACS Style

Matteo Roggero; Sergio Villamayor-Tomas; Christoph Oberlack; Klaus Eisenack; Alexander Bisaro; Jochen Hinkel; Andreas Thiel. Introduction to the special issue on adapting institutions to climate change. Journal of Institutional Economics 2018, 14, 409 -422.

AMA Style

Matteo Roggero, Sergio Villamayor-Tomas, Christoph Oberlack, Klaus Eisenack, Alexander Bisaro, Jochen Hinkel, Andreas Thiel. Introduction to the special issue on adapting institutions to climate change. Journal of Institutional Economics. 2018; 14 (3):409-422.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matteo Roggero; Sergio Villamayor-Tomas; Christoph Oberlack; Klaus Eisenack; Alexander Bisaro; Jochen Hinkel; Andreas Thiel. 2018. "Introduction to the special issue on adapting institutions to climate change." Journal of Institutional Economics 14, no. 3: 409-422.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2018 in Ecology and Society
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Oberlack, C., S. Boillat, S. Brönnimann, J.-D. Gerber, A. Heinimann, C. Ifejika Speranza, P. Messerli, S. Rist, and U. Wiesmann. 2018. Polycentric governance in telecoupled resource systems. Ecology and Society 23(1):16. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09902-230116

ACS Style

Christoph Oberlack; Sébastien Boillat; Stefan Brönnimann; Jean-David Gerber; Andreas Heinimann; Chinwe Ifejika Speranza; Peter Messerli; Stephan Rist; Urs Wiesmann. Polycentric governance in telecoupled resource systems. Ecology and Society 2018, 23, 1 .

AMA Style

Christoph Oberlack, Sébastien Boillat, Stefan Brönnimann, Jean-David Gerber, Andreas Heinimann, Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, Peter Messerli, Stephan Rist, Urs Wiesmann. Polycentric governance in telecoupled resource systems. Ecology and Society. 2018; 23 (1):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Oberlack; Sébastien Boillat; Stefan Brönnimann; Jean-David Gerber; Andreas Heinimann; Chinwe Ifejika Speranza; Peter Messerli; Stephan Rist; Urs Wiesmann. 2018. "Polycentric governance in telecoupled resource systems." Ecology and Society 23, no. 1: 1.

Research article
Published: 30 October 2017 in Journal of Institutional Economics
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Can we explain barriers to adaptation of collective action to changes in the natural environment? One reason for adaptation is the impacts of climate change. Ample case study evidence shows that such adaptation is rarely a smooth process. However, generalisable patterns of how and why barriers arise remain scarce. The study adopts a collective action perspective and the archetypes approach in a meta-analysis of 26 selected publications to explain how barriers arise in specific conditions. Focusing on adaptation of water governance in river basins, the study finds 21 reappearing patterns. Less well-established patterns relate to water property rights, hydrological standards, adaptation externalities, non-climatological uncertainty and vertical coordination. Results further show how barriers impede collective action in specific ways. The paper precisely introduces the archetypes approach, and shows that reported problems in adapting collective action under climate change arise from attributes of actors and pre-existing institutions rather than biophysical characteristics.

ACS Style

Christoph Oberlack; Klaus Eisenack. Archetypical barriers to adapting water governance in river basins to climate change. Journal of Institutional Economics 2017, 14, 527 -555.

AMA Style

Christoph Oberlack, Klaus Eisenack. Archetypical barriers to adapting water governance in river basins to climate change. Journal of Institutional Economics. 2017; 14 (3):527-555.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Oberlack; Klaus Eisenack. 2017. "Archetypical barriers to adapting water governance in river basins to climate change." Journal of Institutional Economics 14, no. 3: 527-555.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2016 in Global Environmental Change
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ACS Style

Christoph Oberlack; Laura Tejada; Peter Messerli; Stephan Rist; Markus Giger. Sustainable livelihoods in the global land rush? Archetypes of livelihood vulnerability and sustainability potentials. Global Environmental Change 2016, 41, 153 -171.

AMA Style

Christoph Oberlack, Laura Tejada, Peter Messerli, Stephan Rist, Markus Giger. Sustainable livelihoods in the global land rush? Archetypes of livelihood vulnerability and sustainability potentials. Global Environmental Change. 2016; 41 ():153-171.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Oberlack; Laura Tejada; Peter Messerli; Stephan Rist; Markus Giger. 2016. "Sustainable livelihoods in the global land rush? Archetypes of livelihood vulnerability and sustainability potentials." Global Environmental Change 41, no. : 153-171.

Journal article
Published: 19 February 2016 in Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
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Institutions are one of the decisive factors which enable, constrain and shape adaptation to the impacts of climate change, variability and extreme events. However, current understanding of institutions in adaptation situations is fragmented across the scientific community, evidence diverges, and cumulative learning beyond single studies is limited. This study adopts a diagnostic approach to elaborate a nuanced understanding of institutional barriers and opportunities in climate adaptation by means of a model-centred meta-analysis of 52 case studies of public climate adaptation in Europe. The first result is a novel taxonomy of institutional attributes in adaptation situations. It conceptually organises and decomposes the many details of institutions that empirical research has shown to shape climate adaptation. In the second step, the paper identifies archetypical patterns of institutional traps and trade-offs which hamper adaptation. Thirdly, corresponding opportunities are identified that enable actors to alleviate, prevent or overcome specific institutional traps or trade-offs. These results cast doubt on the validity of general institutional design principles for successful adaptation. In contrast to generic principles, the identified opportunities provide leverage to match institutions to specific governance problems that are encountered in specific contexts. Taken together, the results may contribute to more coherence and integration of adaptation research that we need if we are to foster learning about the role of institutions in adaptation situations in a cumulative fashion

ACS Style

Christoph Oberlack. Diagnosing institutional barriers and opportunities for adaptation to climate change. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 2016, 22, 805 -838.

AMA Style

Christoph Oberlack. Diagnosing institutional barriers and opportunities for adaptation to climate change. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. 2016; 22 (5):805-838.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christoph Oberlack. 2016. "Diagnosing institutional barriers and opportunities for adaptation to climate change." Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 22, no. 5: 805-838.