Responsibilization in natural resources governance: A romantic doxa?

Abstract In the extensive literature scholars have demonstrated that the goals of power transfer in the decentralization of natural resources governance have not been fully achieved. Powerful actors have maintained their positions of domination, while the interventions have transferred tasks and duties to communities and local decision makers without adequately attending to their capabilities, capacities and resources for natural resources governance. Our research cases from Mexico, Nepal and Tanzania reveal the limits of such responsibilization. We argue that natural resource governance interventions increasingly rely on a new logic that requires citizens, local authorities and communities to be responsible for their own well-being and for resource sustainability. In our case study countries, decentralized forest governance has been a way to demonstrate a “romantic doxa” which national and international actors created via the phenomenon of “responsibilization” something seemingly innocent which has created symbolic violence. In this article, we argue that three aspects capabilities, agency, and level of structures need to be better understood to support locally responsive and collaborative natural resources governance instead of responsibilization in the resources governance. We consider that: 1) the concept of human agency is centrally connected to collaborative and responsive natural resources sustainability transformation processes; 2) the capabilities to exercise human agency need to match the duties, and the duties must be appropriate and moderate with respect to the agents in the natural resources governance and; 3) the governance structures need to be changed so as not only to support human agency to carry out duties but also to ensure capabilities.