Implementation analysis of forest programmes: some theoretical notes and an example

This paper proposes a framework for implementation analysis of public programmes. The framework is an approach to look for possible reasons behind implementation failures based on the idea that these failures are due to the possibility that policy instruments included in the programme may not be controllable by the policy makers. This means that they may fail to meet three types of constraints: feasibility constraints of different kinds (resource constraints, knowledge constraints, administrative constraints, etc.), individual rationality constraints and incentive compatibility constrains. This typology is applied to the analysis of the first EU co-funded forest programme in Portugal which was a historical switch in Portuguese forest policy regarding private forestry.