In May 2023, the European Union adopted the Regulation on Deforestation-Free Supply Chains (EUDR), which will enter into force on December 30, 2025. Its main objective is to prevent products linked to deforestation—such as coffee, cocoa, or soy—from entering the EU market. To comply, companies must implement strict due diligence procedures, including full traceability down to the specific plot of land where a commodity was produced. This seminar explores the social, political, and economic implications of the EUDR, with a particular focus on smallholder producers in the Global South. At its core, the seminar investigates whether the EUDR fosters more sustainable integration of smallholders into global value chains—or whether it instead increases their risk of marginalization and exclusion. Following a research-based learning approach, we will first examine relevant theoretical frameworks from political economy, governance studies, and institutional theory. We will also work through the details of the EUDR itself. In the second half of the seminar, the seminar participants will conduct their own empirical case studies. The goal is to understand the multi-layered interactions between global environmental regulation and local production realities. Students will work in small groups to develop and explore their own research questions related to the seminar’s core themes.
Course Language: English (all sessions and materials)
Studienleistung:
Group research paper (approx. 6,000 words) on a self-developed project
Short presentation on a theoretical text during the first part of the seminar
- Lehrende/r: Thomas Dietz