The adventures of global standards in Russia: the implementation of FSC certification in the Russian forestry sector through the concept of global legal pluralism

Abstract

This study considers the process involved in the implementation of the global system of forest certification for the conduct of forestry business in Russia. The main focus is on the confrontation that has arisen between the State and non-governmental systems of regulation. The causes of conflict and the strategies undertaken for its resolution are analyzed in the article through the prism of the concept of global legal pluralism. Special attention is paid to the consequences of the coexistence of global and national regulations in the same space for the construction of legal authority. Based on empirical materials, the author demonstrates how the implementation of global standards in the Russian forestry sector leads to the emergence of different practices that vary in their degree of compliance with the various legal and quasi-legal constructs, and changes the relationship between those who regulate and those who are regulated.