Why do Foresters Plant Trees? Testing Theories of Bureaucratic Decision-Making in Central India

There is growing awareness of the problems of applying blueprint approaches to public sector management in developing countries, however scholars lack tools for context-specific policy advice. This paper develops an organitoring focuses on the short-term sizing framework for theories of bureaucratic action, and applies this theory to Indian forest departments’ tree-planting programs. Tree planting is implemented successfully in the central Indian regions of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh states, but does not protect ecosystems or reduce poverty. This partial success is driven by interplay between the self-regarding behavior of bureaucrats and a professional logic of appropriateness, and is a challenge to single-issue reformers.