Cambodia’s fisheries sector in the ‘post’ era
Cambodia is often characterized as a post-conflict, post-socialist society undergoing significant economic and political reforms : administrative reforms that emphasize decentralized, local democracy are found across all sectors yet it is unclear what these reforms mean in terms of daily life in Cambodian villages. This paper considers how such reforms play out at a local level vis à vis an examination of the fisheries sector. Although reforms to the fisheries sector are described as radical, a careful examination suggests that fisheries governance has not changed that significantly over the years. Small-scale fishers’ issues remain largely unaddressed, and fisheries policy continues to inadequately enable people to address their local challenges. Thus, the research findings suggest that greater attention needs to be paid to the everyday workings of rural Cambodian life, combining such analysis with an understanding of the macro-level rhetoric promoted within specific governance frameworks.