International influence on forest governance in Tanzania: Analysing the role of aid experts in the REDD+ process

- Aid experts considerably shaped the emerging REDD + policy domain in Tanzania.
- Their policy influence derives from a conjunction of discursive and material power.
- Local actors utilise their relations with aid experts for pursuing own interests.
- Donors foster the uptake of policy fads that fail to bring about change in practice.
- Aid-related expert advice undermines responsive policymaking in young democracies.

Forest governance in many African countries is characterised by a blatant gap between policy and implementation. Contrary to studies that explain this discrepancy mainly with deficient budgets and capacity shortfalls, this paper highlights aid as a cause of implementation failure: Analysing the REDD+ process in Tanzania, it reveals how donor experts employ their material and discursive power to convey 'conservation fads' to the country's policy domain, and to shape the latter in terms of substance and organisation. At the same time, it shows how local actors from government, civil society and academia utilise their international 'partners' for pursuing their own interests.The empirical findings presented in this paper are based on expert interviews and document analysis. Drawing on democracy theory and development studies, the paper points out the implications of aid and related expert advice for young democracies. In the Tanzanian forest sector, a far-reaching effect can be observed: Decision-makers routinely adjust their agenda to donor priorities without necessarily intending to put new policies into practice. While the uptake of 'conservation fads' promoted by the aid industry provides them direct and indirect access to resources, it prevents the emergence of responsive politics able to transform forest management on the ground.