Deforestation and the Rule of Law in a Cross-Section of Countries

TLDR

Insecure property rights are linked to government instability or weak accountability, reflected by lawlessness, executive type, purges, and legislature presence. The study analyzes how deforestation relates to population pressure, income growth, and insecure property rights using data from 120 countries. Results support the hypothesis that insecure property rights and population growth drive deforestation.

Abstract

Relationships between deforestation and population pressure, income growth, and insecure property rights are examined with data from 120 countries. Insecure property rights are hypothesized to arise from two sources: government instability or inability to enforce ownership and an absence of government accountability. The former source is captured by measures of general lawlessness such as guerrilla warfare, revolution, and frequent constitutional change. The latter is proxied by variables indicating the type of government executive, frequency of political purges, and the existence of an elected legislature. General support is indicated for the property rights hypothesis and for the effects of population growth.