Profile

Constance McDermott is a James Martin Senior Fellow in Forest Governance at ECI and the new Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests (OCTF), and Chair of the Forest Governance Programme. Her research addresses the linkages among diverse local, regional and global priorities for sustainable forest management. It examines both "new" and "old" institutions of forest governance, from market-based initiatives such as forest and carbon certification to sovereign state-based and traditional community-based approaches, to better understand how dynamics of trust and power shape environmental and social policies and facilitate or inhibit desired outcomes. Her methods range from locally focused case studies to large-scale comparative research examining cross-institutional and cross-boundary interactions.

McDermott's work at ECI and OCTF will include an emphasis on the integration of forest governance into the global climate regime. Recent research directions include the examination of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) initiatives, and the role of both pre-existing and new forest institutions for addressing REDD-related environmental and social mandates.

Before beginning at Oxford in April 2009, McDermott worked for five years at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies where she served as Associate Research Scientist and Program Director of the Program on Forest Policy and Governance. She has conducted research and applied work in multi-stakeholder processes, forest and green building certification, intergovernmental forest-related governance, and international development in North and Central America, South Asia, and globally.

Research interests

Within the theme of comparative governmental and inter-governmental policy, McDermott addresses the effects of market globalization on domestic forest policy, and the conflicts and synergies between trade and conservation oriented objectives within inter-governmental processes. For example, McDermott is lead author of the book, Global Environmental Forest Policy, together with co-authors Professors Benjamin Cashore (Yale University) and Peter Kanowski (Australian National University). The book compares environmental forest policies in twenty countries worldwide, and serves as a launching point for research on the role of government regulation in addressing REDD-related climate objectives.

McDermott's work on trade-based initiatives includes the study of the impacts of wood products trade with the US and China on forests of the Amazon, Borneo, Chile, Congo, Mekong, and Russian Far East. Outputs from this work include a framework for establishing a "results-based" approach to prioritize the engagement of producers and traders in wood product sourcing initiatives.

The certification of forests and forest products, and related initiatives (for example, green building, forest carbon certification) are another focal point as new forms of non-state governance designed to balance stakeholder interests both "vertically" (i.e. from the local to global level) and "horizontally" (i.e. across diverse interest groups). McDermott's research in this area includes the study of trust and distrust among stakeholders in shaping certification standards and uptake. Outputs include the development of policy tools for evaluating the use of certified wood in green building.

Recent publications

Books:

• McDermott, C.L., Cashore, B. and Kanowski, P. (2010) Global Environmental Forest Policies: An international comparison. London: Earthscan. 384 pp. ISBN: 9781844075904. Now available in paperback.
• McDermott, C.L. (2003) Ph.D. Dissertation: Personal Trust and Trust in Abstract Systems: A study of Forest Stewardship Council-accredited forest certification in British Columbia. University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Journal articles and book chapters:

• Bozzi, L.; B. Cashore; K. Levin and C. McDermott. In Press. Climate Related Private Initiatives and their Effects on the Global Forest Sector. In K. Ronit (Ed.). Private Voluntary Programs in Global Climate Policy: Pitfalls and Potentials. United Nations University Press.
• McDermott, C., B. Cashore and Lloyd Irland. In press. Forestry Driver Mapping Project: Global and US Trade Report. Global Institute for Sustainable Forestry (GISF) Research Series. Yale University: New Haven.
• McDermott, C. (2011) Trust, legitimacy and power in forest certification: A case study of the FSC in British Columbia. Geoforum. doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2003.10.071
• McDermott, Constance L, David Humphreys, Christoph Wildburger, Peter Wood, Emmanuel Marfo, Pablo Pacheco, and Yurdi Yasmi. 2011. "Ch2: Mapping of the core actors and issues defining international forest governance" In Ed. J. Rayner, A. Buck and P. Katila. Embracing Complexity: Meeting the challenges of international forest governance. A global assessment report. Prepared by the Global Forest Expert Panel on the International Forest Regime. IUFRO World Series Volume 28. Vienna. pp. 19-36.
• McDermott, C.; B. Cashore; K. Levin. 2011. Building the Forest-Climate Bandwagon: REDD and the Logic of Problem Amelioration. Global Environmental Politics. 11(3): 85-103. doi:10.1162/GLEP_a_00070
• Kanowski, P., McDermott, C. and Cashorem, B. (2011) Implementing REDD+: lessons from analysis of forest governance. Environmental Science and Policy 14: 111-117.
• Cashore, B., Galloway, G., Cubbage, F., Humphreys, D., Katila, P., Levin, K., McDermott, C., Maryudi, A., and McGinley, K. (2010) Ability of institutions to address new challenges. In, Mery, G., Katila, P., Galloway, G., Alfaro, R.I., Kanninen, M., Lobovikov, M. and J. Varjo (eds.) Forests and Society: Responding to Global Drivers of Change. IUFRO World Forests, Society and Environment Project.
• McDermott, C., Cashore, B. and Kanowski, P. (2009) Setting the bar: an international comparison of public and private forest policy specifications and implications for explaining policy trends. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences, 6(3): 1-21.
• Levin, K., McDermott, C. and Cashore, B. (2008) The climate regime as global forest governance: can Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) initiatives pass a 'dual effectiveness' test? International Forestry Review, 10(3).
• Auld, G., Gulbrandsen, L. and McDermott, C. (2008) Certification schemes and the impacts on forests and forestry. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 33. November.
• McDermott, C., Noah, E. and Cashore, B. (2008) Differences that matter? A framework for comparing environmental certification standards and government policies. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 10(1): 47-70.
• Cashore, B., Auld, G., Bernstein, S. and McDermott, C. (2007) Can non-state governance 'ratchet up' global environmental standards? Lessons from the forest sector. Review of European Community and International Environmental Law (RECIEL), 16(2): 158-172.
• Hansen, E., Fletcher, R., Cashore, B. and McDermott, C. (2006) Forest certification in North America. Oregon State University Extension Service.
• Maynard, B. and McDermott, C. (2006) Forest certification in the tropical Asia-Pacific. In, Cashore, B., Gale, F. and E. Meidinger (eds.) Confronting Sustainability: Forest Certification in Developing and Transitioning Countries. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Press: New Haven.
• Stennes, B., Wang, S., Alvarez, C.L., Wilson, B. and McDermott, C. (2005) Forestry in North America. In, Forests in the Global Balance - Changing Paradigms. International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO): Vienna.
• McDermott, C.L. and Hoberg, G. (2003) From state to market: forest certification in Canada and the U.S. In, Beckley, T., Shindler, B. and M.C. Finley (eds.) Two Paths Toward Sustainable Forests: Public Values in Canada and the United States. OSU Press: Corvalis.
• McDermott, C.L. (1996) Forest user group monitoring in Nepal: why, what and for whom? Asia Pacific Community Forestry Newsletter (RECOFTC) (Bangkok, Thailand): 16-17.

Commissioned Research:

• Nussbaum, R., Hoare, A., McDermott, C., Saunders, J. and Costa, P.M. (2009) Accelerating transfers of interim finance for REDD+: absorptive capacity and opportunities for early market involvement Report commissioned by the Department for International Development (DFID), UK.
• McDermott, C., Irland, L., Cashore, B., Milakovsky, B., Rebelo, C. and Gordon, L. (2008) Eight reports on the wood trade, and trade-based conservation strategies focused on six eco-regions (Amazon, Chile, Amur / Heilongjiang, Mekong, Congo, Borneo), China, and the US. Final drafts for WWF-US. WA DC.
• McDermott, C. and Cashore, B. (2008) Assessing USGBC's Policy Options for Forest Certification and the Use of Wood and Other Bio-based Materials. Policy analysis and recommendations for the United States Green Building Council. WA DC.
• McDermott, C. and Cashore, B. with Kanowski, P. (2007) A Global Comparison of Forest Policies Using Tasmania as a Constant Case. Prepared for the Forests and Forest Industry Council of Tasmania. Hobart, Tasmania.
• McDermott, C., Wood, P. and O'Carroll, A. (2007) International Forest Policy - the instruments, agreements and processes that shape it. Final draft for the United Nations Forum on Forests. NY, NY.
• McDermott, C. (2006) FSC in the Northern Appalachians: A regional and sub-regional analysis of Forest Stewardship Council Certification as a tool for forest conservation. Strategic analysis for the Kendall Foundation: Boston, MA.
• Cashore, B. and McDermott, C. (2004) Global Environmental Forest Policies: Canada as a constant case comparison of select forest practice regulations. International Forest Resources: Victoria, BC.