Carolina Gueiros

Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Geography and the Environment - Degree completed in 2022

Supervisors: Dr Tom Thornton and Dr Constance McDermott

Forest Governance in the Brazilian Amazon: Policy Change and Innovation to Curb Deforestation

Current Research

Carolina's DPhil research focuses on the dynamics of policy change and policy innovation in Brazil in recent decades, especially the changes to the Brazilian Forest Code from 1965 to 2012, and the introduction of market-based mechanisms such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in some Amazonian states. Her research employs methods such as process tracing and content analysis, drawing on both empiricist and post-positivist theoretical approaches to understanding domestic policy processes in Brazil, and the interplay between transnational pathways of influence and domestic policy strategies that led to the adoption of REDD+ in the Brazilian states of Acre, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso.

Prior to her DPhil studies, Carolina's research was focused on the intersection between human rights law and environmental protection, and in corporate social responsibility issues involving human rights and the environment. She has a Masters of Environmental Science from Yale University, a Masters of Human Rights Studies from Columbia University, an LL.M. in Environmental Law from Pace University, and a Bachelor degree in Law from the Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil. She has previously practiced environmental law in the Brazilian Amazon, and managed a legal consultancy firm in New York City.

Selected Publications

Carolina Gueiros
Environmental Change Institute