Incorporating institutional power into the disparate stakeholder management approach: a case study of wildlife management in the southern greater yellowstone area

Abstract

Natural resource management decisions are complicated by multiple property rights, management objectives, and stakeholders with varying degrees of influence over the decision making process. Underlying institutional factors will give certain stakeholders a greater level of influence over the policy outcome. How a stakeholder uses their influence can greatly effect the decision making process. We utilized the Legal Institutional Analysis Model to account for stakeholdersʼ political power in the decision making process. We then extended the use of this model by integrating concepts from decision analysis and public choice economics into a single, comprehensive approach called Disparate Stakeholder Management. We demonstrate this new approach in this report through a case study concerning elk and bison management in the Southern Greater Yellowstone Area.