This project investigates the contested access to natural resources. It will do this using the lens of public authority. This implies that a multitude of potential authorities will be studied that can be situated outside or in the shadow of the formal state. The ongoing relevance of non-state mechanisms guarateeing access to land, water, minerals... is central to this research project. By doing this, this project should be situated at the intersection and rural sociology and political sciences.  Concrete cases will depend on the profile of a potential PhD candidate.