The Effectiveness of Private Governance in the Forestry Sector: Impact of Transnational Private Standards on Deforestation

There is an ongoing debate on whether transnational private standards induce change in the behavior of firms, and if so under what conditions, or whether they are solely marketing and lobbying tools (e.g. Castka & Corbett, 2014; Darnall & Sides, 2008; Gamper-Rabindran & Finger, 2013). Using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data from NASA on the coverage and density of forests across countries, and my dissertation data on the adoption of sustainability standards in the forestry sector, I will investigate whether the adoption of these standards has had an effect on deforestation.