Rethinking Natural Resource Governance: A Critical Review of Power Relations and Institutional Politics

Abstract

Natural resource governance has become a central concern in academic and policy debates due to increasing environmental degradation, resource conflicts, and institutional complexity, particularly in the Global South. While governance-based frameworks have been widely adopted, growing criticism suggests that many approaches remain overly normative and insufficiently attentive to political dynamics and power relations. This article aims to critically evaluate dominant theories and methodological approaches in natural resource governance research by addressing unresolved conceptual and epistemological gaps. It responds to the lack of systematic critical synthesis that integrates political, institutional, and power-oriented perspectives. The study employs a Critical Review methodology, drawing on high-impact literature published in Scopus Q1/Q2 and Web of Science–indexed journals over the past decade. An initial search identified [XX] publications, which were subjected to a multi-stage screening process based on relevance, quality, and thematic alignment. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a final corpus of [XX] studies was selected for in-depth analysis. A comparative thematic analysis, argumentative analysis, and conceptual framework synthesis were applied to assess theoretical assumptions, methodological limitations, and areas of contestation within the literature. The analysis reveals that prevailing governance frameworks tend to depoliticize natural resource management by prioritizing institutional efficiency and participation while marginalizing conflict, inequality, and power asymmetries. The findings also highlight persistent theoretical fragmentation between political ecology, institutional theory, and governance studies. This review contributes academically by proposing an integrative and politicized conceptual framework that advances critical governance scholarship. Practically, it underscores the limitations of technocratic policy reforms and calls for context-sensitive, politically informed governance strategies. Future research should empirically test the proposed framework across diverse resource governance contexts.