Biodiversity encompasses different constructions of ‘nature’, ‘economy’ and
‘livelihood’ that contain tensions between different sets of social and
ethical concerns, economic or political preferences, scientific and
technological systems, traditions and knowledge. Biodiversity Policy,
therefore, is an important space where the competing dynamics of these
processes can be observed. Using a constructivist approach, this literature
review identifies and analyses particular variables that influence policy
formulation in the context of India’s two main biodiversity policies: The
Biodiversity Act and the National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan. The
dependant model of the overall analytical framework is to explain
participatory policy formulation with regard to biodiversity and the goal
achievement of the actors involved. The goal of this paper is to identify the
mechanisms of influence that explain a distinct process of policy formulation.
These mechanisms of influence are identified first as norm diffusion through
regimes - specifically the role of policy entrepreneurs and framing exercises,
cultural and institutional structures-, and second, as domestic actors
operating within an advocacy coalition. The research is based on expert
interviews with key researchers and policy makers. The research attempts to
capture the dynamic movement and interpretation of ideas as they move between
the international and domestic spheres. This paper is both theoretical and
empirical, as it brings in initial results from the field. It elucidates how
policy processes have been constructed in certain ways and are influenced both
by the international context and ideational components of domestic policy
networks
