Doctoral Dissertation Research: Collaborative Institutional Ethnography of the WWF Arctic Network Initiative

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

This research examines social and cultural influences on transnational conservation practice in the Arctic. Specifically, the objective of this research is to understand the social and cultural processes that influence Arctic conservation in the context of the WWF Arctic Network Initiative (NI). As a focus for conservation efforts, the Arctic is especially important because so many conservation threats to the region are non-Arctic in origin: global climate change, accumulation of pollution, risks from increased shipping, overfishing, and resource extraction, to name a few. WWF's policy work thus has effects far beyond the northern latitudes. What is the role of organizational culture in decision making processes within the WWF Arctic NI? What institutional arrangements are most important for individuals within the WWF Arctic NI? How do social networks (both within and outside the Arctic NI) influence processes within the NI? By researching both policy development and field practice within the Arctic NI, the investigator hopes to gain important insights into both Arctic conservation and the social dynamics of a multinational conservation NGO. Circumpolar research will be carried out in the US (Alaska), Norway, Canada, and in international meetings and conferences where WWF concentrates its efforts, as well as with groups and individuals working in close association with WWF. Research questions will be addressed through ethnographic study including interviews, participant observation, text analysis, and archival research. The research methodology draws on institutional ethnography, network analysis, and collaborative strategies. Network effects and the influence of multiple, possibly disjunct institutions are especially salient given that WWF has shifted toward an explicitly networked form of governance. At the same time, WWF's interest in their own institutional culture parallels organizational researchers? studies of integration and fragmentation within organizations. Transnational conservation organizations have emerged as key sites for the development of conservation policy and governance. Understanding conservation as a product of complex transnational networks involving political concerns across multiple scales is important for understanding conservation outcomes as well as the unintentional effects of conservation programs. Previous anthropological studies of conservation organizations have often been seen as criticism by outsiders, closing doors to possible collaborations and future engagement. This research aims to study from within a major conservation organization in a way that will contribute to ongoing debates while maintaining constructive engagement between social scientists and conservation practitioners. More broadly, this research brings traditional anthropological studies of structure and agency into organizational research. As such, this research is significant within both anthropology and organizational studies?particularly multi-sited studies of international programs and global conservation.