PhDThe copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information\ud
derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author.This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge about Fairtradeâ\u80\u99s impact on\ud
producers by assessing voice and governance within producer organizations. I employ\ud
Fung and Wrightâ\u80\u99s (2003) framework of Empowered Participatory Governance (EPG)\ud
as a tool for understanding the challenges of collaborative governance as they relate to\ud
Fairtrade. EPG combines participation, decentralized decision-making, continuous\ud
deliberation and engagement, and co-operation between parties and interests, and as\ud
such is well suited to a consideration of Fairtrade governance. Through exploring EPGâ\u80\u99s\ud
principles, design properties, and enabling conditions related to Fairtrade, I aim to learn\ud
more about whether or not this international system is truly achieving collaborative\ud
governance that enables individual producers to have a â\u80\u98stronger voiceâ\u80\u99. I consider Fung\ud
and Wrightâ\u80\u99s (2003) notion of countervailing power as a means of understanding how\ud
power structures may be challenged to the advantage of those who are typically\ud
marginalized within Fairtradeâ\u80\u99s governance processes, and incorporate Hirschmanâ\u80\u99s\ud
(1970) work on exit, voice, and loyalty in order to explore alternatives to voice. This multiple case study focuses on Fairtrade coffee co-operatives in Tanzania. Over a\ud
period of two years, I conducted 139 individual interviews with key informants,\ud
managers, Board members, and producers in East Africa, held focus groups, and\ud
observed many events. Overall I found that Fairtrade creates opportunities for producer\ud
voice through its governance structures when (i) governance is collaborative and (ii)\ud
producers have substantial and equal access to capacity building. However, when\ud
individuals do not feel as though they have a voice, exit becomes a viable alternative