When State and society meet: The land-use planning policy in San Martin (2002- 2018)

Abstract

In 2002, Peru launched a decentralization process that assigned functions to 25 new regional governments. The reform has exhibited dissimilar results. The majority of subnational governments experience challenges to enforce the law in their territories. Despite that, it is possible to identify positive experiences. This article focuses in the study of territorial and environmental policies in San Martín, a region that used to be the most deforested region in the country and that has become a role model for the implementation of conservation policies. To answer this question, we focus in two variables. On the one hand, we show the importance of state-society linkages in the strengthen of state capacity and, on the other, the positive effect of political leadership in the prioritization of policies. The article, then, aims to emphasize how local demand can promote, enforce and guarantee the continuity of policies over time.