Social capital as power resource in forest governance networks: a systematic review

Forest governance involves complex power relations among diverse stakeholders, where social capital functions as a critical power resource that shapes actor influence and coordination effectiveness. Trust functions as a critical component of social capital, enabling stakeholder collaboration in collective forest management activities. Understanding how social capital enables or constrains stakeholder power dynamics is essential for improving multilevel forest management outcomes. This systematic review examines how actors mobilize trust, norms, and networks to influence governance processes in forest management systems. Using PRISMA methodology, we conducted bibliometric analysis on 85 articles and systematic review of 43 selected studies from Scopus/WoS databases spanning 1998-2024. The dataset encompasses publications from 245 institutions across 58 countries, representing diverse forest management contexts. Bibliometric analysis revealed increasing research focus on stakeholder relationships, multilevel governance, and actor coordination in forest management. Systematic review identified five key dimensions of trust, norms, and networks as power resources: trust-based influence mechanisms, normative authority systems, information coordination processes, resource mobilization channels, and conflict mediation structures. Findings demonstrate that trust and coordination mechanisms operate as distributed power resources enabling local actors to influence forest management through three primary mechanisms: network coordination, power redistribution, and governance legitimacy. Leadership emerges as a key factor in mobilizing trust for conflict resolution and aligning interests with conservation goals. Actor analysis shows that effective forest management emerges from effective coordination of trust and networks by key actors who bridge local communities, government agencies, and external organizations. Field evidence reinforces the importance of trust-based coordination and leadership in addressing forest resource management issues. The findings provide an analytical framework for understanding power relations in forest management systems, with implications for designing more inclusive and effective multilevel governance systems.

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