DEMOGRAPHY, DEVELOPMENT AND DEFORESTATION IN A WORLD-SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE

Deforestation is a critical global phenomenon that has been relatively neglected in sociological research. We addres this neglect by examini ng the antecedents of deforestation from a demographic, cultural and e conomic perspective that relies on world-system themes. We develop a m odel for deforestation and its short-term economic effects for the ent ire world, and also develop separate models for the core, semiperipher y and periphery. We use structural equation models to identify both di rect and indirect effects on deforestation, as mediated by rural encro achment. Results indicate that factors leading to deforestation vary a cross world-system positions. Deforestation has been most severe in th e semiperiphery during the past several decades, and the effects of ru ral encroachment on deforestation have been greatest there as well. Gr owth in secondary education is associated with less deforestation in t he semiperiphery, both directly and indirectly through its tendency to counteract rural encroachment. Population growth has a direct effect on deforestation only in the core, but leads to rural encroachment in all sectors. Growth in service and manufacturing, especially in the pe riphery, has a countervailing effect on deforestation. Deforestation i n turn is associated with economic decline, especially in the peripher y. Results are discussed in a world-system theoretic perspective.