The state plays an indispensable role in policy-making to govern the commons, collective action, and formal and informal institutions in postcolonial societies. To overcome socio-ecological crises, the state uses public policy as a tool to manage and govern the commons, thereby often limiting citizens’ capacity to access these commons.
In the analysis of interactions between state, citizens, and non-state actors in policy processes, the role of power is emerging as an important factor in understanding these complex set-ups. Explicit considerations of power may reveal underlying colonial continuities, entrenched power asymmetries, and persisting inequalities that cut across social, economic, and political arenas and affect the decision-making processes and institutions under investigation. However, emerging approaches to conceptualising power are yet to find broad application in policy and institutional anlyses.
In this panel, we invite contributions that draw on postcolonial, decolonial, and subaltern theorizations or framings to integrate critical reflections on power in their public policy analysis of commons governance.
