Commons + Community Irrigation Systems Flashcards
What are the ‘Commons’?
Analytical term is natural resources characterised by high substractability and an high difficulty to exclude
AND
How the resource is governed, focusing on the institutional arrangements which focuses on the resource.
- infrastructure, technology
The property regime over a resource can be private property, state property, common property regimes or open acces. However, in real life it’s seldom open access
Overlapping property rights > competing claims - case of commons grabbing
What is a community irrigation system?
A Community Water Project (CWP) is an organisation of different households using a shared irrigation scheme
Partinioners are one of the wealthiest households. Smaller scale do not participate
What is Ostrom’s Background?
She was born in 1933 during the great repression, became a political scientist professor at Indiana University thanks of being married to her husband. 1st woman to win an economic Nobel Price in 2009
- Built the workshop of Political Theories and Analysis
- Foundational Concept with her critique on the ‘ tragedy of the commons’ by Hardin
- wrote her book governing the commons in 1990, building her theory with alot of empirical evidence. Gives a wider perspective on economic governance than just centralised authority or private property rights
What is the difference between eco and anthropocentric?
The difference in perspectives lies in their belief about the relationship between humans and the environment.
1. Ecocentric = places intrinsic value on the environment and all living organisms, emphasizing interconnectedness and interdependence of all living beings within ecosystems. Humans are part of a larger ecological system
- Anthropocentric = this perspective places human beings at the center of value and importance, and the environment has instrumental value to humans, prioritizing human needs over other species
What is Neomalthusian?
Hardin based his theory “The Tragedy of the Commons’ on ideas of Thomas Maltus in which he argued that the population tends to grow exponentially, depleting resources leading to population decrease due to inevitable consequences such as famine, disease and war :(
Explain Hardin’s Theory on the tragedy of the commons?
(Diets, Ostrom, Stern, 2003)
A subjective perspective with a Neo-Malutsian point of view
Based on the fact that humans are rational individuals out for maximisation of utility
In his theory he describes common-pool resources which are treated with open-access. Didn’t focus on the property regime.
“The tragedy of the commons develop in this way. Picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons. Such an arrangement may work reasonably satisfactorily for centuries because tribal wars, poaching, and disease keep he numbers of both man and beast well below the carrying capacity of the land. Finally however, comes the day of reckoning, that is, the day when the long–desired goal of social stability becomes a reality. At this point the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy”. (Hardin 1968: 162)”
Theory based on 0 imperical evidence.
To govern the commons Hardin stresses the need of an authority which leads to two perspectives:
1. Centralised Government - strong role of the state
2. Private Property
- Neoliberal ideology with it’s 3 pillars: Liberalisation, Privatisation and Deregulation
There are strong empirical evidences that the global commons can be protected with a variety of methods
What are Hardin’s assumptions on the tragedy of the commons (1968)?
- Rational individuals striving for maximisation of utility - self-interest
- Finite resources
- Treated with open-access
Mainstream economics :((((
A resource system that is open to all
What is Elinors counterarguments of Hardin’s the tragedy of the commons?
Presenting empirical evidence and theoretical frameworks that counterd his assumptions
- communities often develop their own rules and institutions for managing common pool resources, countradiccting hardins assumption of individuals acting solely in their self-interest. Collective action arrangements and governance structures to regulate resource use effectively
- Local communities possess valuable knowledge on the resources in their environment, allowing them to adapt their management practices to changing conditions. Enabling communities to develop flexible and context-specific rules promoting sustainable resource use
- Proposing nested polycentric governance showing different ways to Hardins proposed twofold methods: state regulation or private property
- Robustness of Common Pool Resource Management:
With her empirical studies she highlighted numberous examples where communities sucessfully managed resources over long time periods without the tragedy of the commons happening , providing evidence that effective governance arrangements and collective action can prevent overexploitation and promote sustainability
What is the difference between common pool resources and open access ?
Open acces is one of the property regime structures with which common pool resources are managed,
- meaning a lack of legal authorities
Common pool resources are environmental resources which are non-excludable but rivalrous
What happened in Kenya in 2002? And what was it driven by?
Give a description how the Water Reform in Kenya is constructed?
What are the benefits and downsides of the formal water governance in kenya and of the WRUAs?
How does the communnity project in Kenya studied by Jampel relate to Elinor Ostrom’s work?
Jampel used the **8 design principles characterising best practices and describing rules and structures of robust institutions associated with sustainable governance of common-pool resources ** in his 2016 multidisciplinary research on the community water projects in Kenya. He used the principles to analyse and compare the different community water projects. It must be mentioned that they are not deemed to be seen as a solution as there is no allencompassing fix to resource governance and management. Or smthing like this
Why are the WRUAs Water Resource Users Association effective?
What are the “Ostrom Design Principles” and how are they relevant for the study of community irrigation systems in developing countries?
characterises best practices and describes rules and structures of robust institutions associated with sustainable governance of common-pool resources. Allows analysis and comparison, but are no blueprint that must be followed as there is no panaceas .
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Clear Boundaries
Individuals ow households who have the right to use the common-pool resource are clearly degined -
Congruence with the local level
Rules restricting time, place, technology, and quantity of resource use are well adapted to local conditions -
Collective-choice arrangements
Most individuals affected by the rules can participate in modifying them -
Monitoring
Common-pool resource conditions and use are monitored by the users themselves or by people accountable to the users -
Graduated sanctions
Users who violate resource-related rules are likely to be assessed penalties that correspond to the seriousness and context if the offense -
Conflict resolution strategies
Users and officials have rapid access to low-cost local arenas for resolving conflicts among users and conflicts between users and officials -
Recognition of the right to organize
The rights of users to devise their own institutions are not challenged by external governmental authorities -
Nested Governance
Appropriation, provision, monitoring, enforcement, conflict resolution and governance are organized in multiple, nested layers
