DOES RESOURCE DEPENDENCE MATTER? A consideration of artisanal fishing in the relationship between democracy and marine health

Sammanfattning: This paper examines the interplay between democracy, artisanal fishing, dependence on marine resources, and the health of marine ecosystems. The focus on artisanal fishing opportunities examines how local organization can affect the status of fisheries. The study provides new nuances to the prevailing notion in environmental political theory that democracy is a better system to promote pro-environmental outcomes, highlighting the need for context-specific analyses. This is done by using regression analysis on a global sample of coastal countries. The results suggest that democracy, at least its deliberative component, does not necessarily correlate with better marine health, although it does have a positive impact in countries that are expected to be more dependent on marine resources. However, the study also uncovers negative moderating effect of the empowerment of artisanal fishing on the relationship between democracy and marine health in countries that are expected to have smaller dependence on fisheries. The paper emphasizes the relevance of considering local conditions, perspectives, and socioeconomic factors in studying environmental issues, to merge social and environmental problems as connected challenges.