Public forest policy making in post-Communist Estonia

This paper presents a case study of forest sector development during the first 10 years of economic transition in Estonia in the period 1991–2000. The analysis is based on an examination of consecutive steps in the evolution of the countryʹs forest sector, allowing speculations and conclusions to be drawn on why some forest policy actions have been more successful than others. Using Douglass C. Northʹs concept of ‘scaffolds’ and the factors that most influence economic progress, the author follows the interplay between the formal and informal institutions in Estonian forestry during this period. The author finds that participatory policy-making procedures, while strongly advocated in the IPF Proposals for Action, do not alone necessarily guarantee desirable policy outcomes. The existing social norms and individual decision-makers’ actions also make significant contributions to the success of forest policy implementation.