Polycentric forest governance for social equity of Indigenous Peoples? A critical appraisal

Polycentric governance systems are considered to have higher capacity to respond to emerging socio-ecological challenges. However, it remains unclear how these systems improve institutions’ ability to solve problems of social inequity for Indigenous Peoples (IPs). This critical appraisal identifies and critically engages with existing research on polycentric forest governance to understand how polycentric institutional arrangements and governance mechanisms influence social equity for IPs, and how objectives related to IPs social equity are presented in empirical studies on polycentric forest governance. A systematic review of literature reveals that studies examining polycentric forest governance vis-à-vis IPs social equity are extremely rare. The literature also exhibits inconsistency in examining complex polycentric governance interactions – such as shared autonomy, coordination, conflict resolution mechanism – in relation to IPs social equity, including distributive benefits, participatory rights and tenurial or cultural recognition in forest. Existing empirical studies show that polycentric interactions can negatively affect IPs’ social equity through hierarchical institutional nestedness, lack of political decentralisation, and entrenched social heterogeneity. However, rich empirical insights are missing that critically delve into these connections in-depth across diverse contexts in polycentric forest governance. This review offers a research agenda to strengthen the theoretical and empirical scope of polycentric governance scholarship, particularly by building stronger bridges with the scholarship on environmental justice.