In Norway, privatisation of natural resources is an on-going process arousing interest every so often. More than 200 years after the King sold one of the “King’s commons” to urban timber merchants, local people in some ways still behave as if the area is a kind of commons. The study outlines the history of the transformation of the area from an 18th century King’s common to a 21st century battleground for ideas about ancient access and use rights of community members facing rights claimed by a commercial forest owner within local consequences of national legislation. The discussion is focused on the right of common to hunt small game without dog in Follafoss private commons. This study highlights one case of the historical trajectory of the commons from its origins to the present dispute, illustrating key events and legal changes that shaped current interpretations of hunting rights. Mahoney and Thelen (2010)’s Gradual institutional change was considered for the analysis as it provides four modal types of institutional change: Displacement, Layering, Drift and Conversion. Mary Douglas (1986, 69–90)’s ideas about structural amnesia also has been considered. The study also discussed how competing interpretations of law, tradition, and property rights continue to influence local governance and community relations.
Author(s) Details
Erling Berge
Department of Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning, Norwegian
University of Life Sciences, Norway.
Anne Sigrid Haugset
Trøndelag R&D Institute, Norway.
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