SYA 4930  Social Institutions and Environment Course Brief Using case studies and research from a variety of sectors (wood, coffee, food), the course explores the potential offered by new approaches to environmental governance, including corporate self-regulation, multi-stakeholder certification and labeling schemes, fair trade programs, transparency and reporting initiatives and considers recent roles played by international institutions, such as the WTO, the World Bank and UN. The main social actors involved in these new institutions—who push for or influence social change—include activist environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), community organizations, firms, states, the media, and international intergovernmental organizations. We will focus evaluating why new institutions have emerged, how they function, and under what conditions they may be effective in mitigating environmental and social impacts of production.