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Metagovernance of the national park process in Denmark

2009; Routledge; Volume: 14; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13549830802693086

1469-6711

Dorthe Hedensted Lund,

Policy Transfer and Learning

Abstract Taking departure in theories about metagovernance of governance networks this article investigates the process of establishing national parks in Denmark in relation to the following empirical questions: what was the rationale for metagovernance? How was metagovernance exercised? What was accomplished? From the case study it can be concluded that the process was metagoverned through a number of strategies. Even if metagovernance of the governance networks contributed to a better understanding of the interests at stake, a key issue regarding the use of natural resources remains how to weigh interests of different strengths when consensus cannot be obtained. Metagovernance of the national park process did not solve this issue. The case confirms that metagovernance is a balancing act; there are many things to consider, not least is it important to ensure transparency. Keywords: governance networksmetagovernancenational parksnature conservation Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank the informants for their time and insights. The article is partly a result of research conducted for the EU project "New Modes of Governance for Sustainable Forestry in Europe" financed by the 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6). The interview guides and many of the interviews were conducted in collaboration with the participating investigators Dr. Tove E. Boon and Dr. Iben Nathan, who I sincerely thank for their contribution. I thank the discussants participating in the 8th NESS for their comments and suggestions for improvements for an earlier version of this article. Last but not least I thank the editors and the two referees for their constructive and helpful comments, which have improved the article.