Drawing on ecologically unequal exchange theory and previous research, we assess whether palm exports from low- and middle-income nations to India increase forest loss in exporting nations. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression for a sample of 91 low- and middle-income nations, we find support for our main hypothesis that palm exports sent from low- and middle-income nations to India are related to increased forest loss in the exporting nations. Our findings refine and expand upon ecologically unequal exchange theory by demonstrating that India, a middle-income nation, nevertheless is capable of positioning itself favorably in trading opportunities with other low- and middle-income nations. As India meets its needs for palm oil from abroad which is central to its economic growth and industrialization, their low- and middle-income trading partners bear more of the burden of environmental harms from the extraction and export of palm oil.
CITATION STYLE
Sommer, J. M., Restivo, M., & Shandra, J. M. (2020). India, Palm Oil, and Ecologically Unequal Exchange: A Cross-national Analysis of Forest Loss. Sociological Perspectives, 63(2), 312–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121419888645
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