Measuring the Effect of Heterogeneity and Trust on Cooperation in Common-pool Resources PDF Download

Author: Fijnanda Van Klingeren
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Author: Jean-Marie Baland
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069118738X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Would improving the economic, social, and political condition of the world's disadvantaged people slow--or accelerate--environmental degradation? In Inequality, Cooperation, and Environmental Sustainability, leading social scientists provide answers to this difficult question, using new research on the impact of inequality on environmental sustainability. The contributors' findings suggest that inequality may exacerbate environmental problems by making it more difficult for individuals, groups, and nations to cooperate in the design and enforcement of measures to protect natural assets ranging from local commons to the global climate. But a more equal division of a given amount of income could speed the process of environmental degradation--for example, if the poor value the preservation of the environment less than the rich do, or if the consumption patterns of the poor entail proportionally greater environmental degradation than that of the rich. The contributors also find that the effect of inequality on cooperation and environmental sustainability depends critically on the economic and political institutions governing how people interact, and the technical nature of the environmental asset in question. The contributors focus on the local commons because many of the world's poorest depend on them for their livelihoods, and recent research has made great strides in showing how private incentives, group governance, and government policies might combine to protect these resources.

Author: Yu Wang
Publisher: Open Dissertation Press
ISBN: 9781361342688
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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This dissertation, "The Embeddedness of Governing the Commons: a Game Theoretic Perspective on Cooperation, Coordination and Trust in Water Sharing Interactions" by Yu, Wang, 王雨, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: The governance of the commons is an elusive task. For one thing, the overexploitation of natural resources and the deterioration of environment have posed severe threats to human society. For another, most of the threats result from social dilemmas such as problems of cooperation, coordination and trust. These collective action problems all entail a paradox in which rational individual behavior leads to irrational collective outcomes. In previous literature, answers for coping with "the tragedy of the commons" range from the imposition of government to the establishment of market and endogenous rules. However, this institutional perspective has overlooked the social and ecological characteristics embedded in common-pool resources(CPR) systems. Furthermore, few studies have taken a formal game theoretic approach to examine how embeddedness might affect collective action problems in complex social-ecological systems. This thesis uses formal game theoretic models to investigate the dynamics of collective action problems in water sharing interactions. Three types of innovative game theoretic models are developed; namely, the asymmetric N-person Prisoner's Dilemma game, the asymmetric N-person Stag-hunt game and the two-level Trust game. Various elements of social and ecological embeddedness, including but not limited to direct and indirect reciprocity, heterogeneous utilities, varied utility functions for public good production and multi-level interactions, are incorporated into models to examine conditions under which collective action problems are more likely to be alleviated. Moreover, this study associates implications of the formal models with practice of water governance in contemporary China and provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of several empirical cases including decision-making processes, water allocation schemes, payments for ecosystem services programs and multi-level governance. Major findings of this study are: 1) Collective cooperation between different upstream and downstream actors is subject to joint effects of reciprocity and asymmetric payoff mechanisms. Downstream actors require a strong prospect of long-term interactions whereas upstream actors are more sensitive to the level asymmetries. 2) The problem of coordination can be addressed through settings of asymmetric cost-benefit ratios and varied total utility functions. Actors' heterogeneous contribution to public good may alter the number of cooperators and the production of public good. 3) The imposition of an overarching authority can be a "double-edged sword" in terms of its impacts on trust construction. A trustworthy authority may relax conditions for placing and honoring trust. The conditions become more restrictive when the authority is untrustworthy. 4) Information transparency and availability, "the shadow of the future," regional heterogeneities, institutional fit and trustworthiness of overarching authorities are critical factors that affect the performance of water governance in China. This study contributes to the existing literature in three main aspects. Firstly, it introduces the effects of embeddedness into CPR studies which conventionally focus on the institutional aspect of CPR governance. Secondly, it brings the perspective of collective action into water resources management studies which traditionally

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309169984
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 533

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The "tragedy of the commons" is a central concept in human ecology and the study of the environment. It has had tremendous value for stimulating research, but it only describes the reality of human-environment interactions in special situations. Research over the past thirty years has helped clarify how human motivations, rules governing access to resources, the structure of social organizations, and the resource systems themselves interact to determine whether or not the many dramas of the commons end happily. In this book, leaders in the field review the evidence from several disciplines and many lines of research and present a state-of-the-art assessment. They summarize lessons learned and identify the major challenges facing any system of governance for resource management. They also highlight the major challenges for the next decade: making knowledge development more systematic; understanding institutions dynamically; considering a broader range of resources (such as global and technological commons); and taking into account the effects of social and historical context. This book will be a valuable and accessible introduction to the field for students and a resource for advanced researchers.

Author: Andy Catley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415540712
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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A view of 'development at the margins' in the pastoral areas of the Horn of Africa highlights innovation and entrepreneurialism, cooperation and networking and diverse approaches rarely in line with standard development prescriptions. Through twenty detailed empirical chapters, the book highlights diverse pathways of development, going beyond the standard 'aid' and 'disaster' narratives.

Author: Larry E. Erickson
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351116568
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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The world’s atmosphere is a common resource. Air quality, along with energy, transportation, and climate change have significant impacts on our lives and this book helps readers understand the changes happening at the nexus of these areas, as they relate to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. Discussing the transitions to electric vehicles, solar and wind energy for electricity generation, battery developments, smart grids and electric power management, and progress in the electrification of agricultural technology, it also provides the latest information in the context of the United Nations sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Features: Includes content on how to improve urban air quality in large cities and urban environments. Effectively addresses the nexus of energy, transportation, air quality, climate change and health. Discusses innovative concepts at the nexus of renewable energy, smart grid, electric vehicles, and electric power management. Describes recent progress in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Written for a wide audience by world experts in sustainability. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emission and Improving Air Quality: Two Interrelated Global Challenges, is an invaluable book for professionals and academics at the center of changes relating to solar and wind energy, electric vehicles, and charging infrastructure, including government officials, community leaders, researchers, students, and interested citizens. It is also an excellent text for classes that address sustainability, particularly for those focused on transportation and energy.

Author: Karen S. Cook
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN: 1610441354
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Some social theorists claim that trust is necessary for the smooth functioning of a democratic society. Yet many recent surveys suggest that trust is on the wane in the United States. Does this foreshadow trouble for the nation? In Cooperation Without Trust? Karen Cook, Russell Hardin, and Margaret Levi argue that a society can function well in the absence of trust. Though trust is a useful element in many kinds of relationships, they contend that mutually beneficial cooperative relationships can take place without it. Cooperation Without Trust? employs a wide range of examples illustrating how parties use mechanisms other than trust to secure cooperation. Concerns about one's reputation, for example, could keep a person in a small community from breaching agreements. State enforcement of contracts ensures that business partners need not trust one another in order to trade. Similarly, monitoring worker behavior permits an employer to vest great responsibility in an employee without necessarily trusting that person. Cook, Hardin, and Levi discuss other mechanisms for facilitating cooperation absent trust, such as the self-regulation of professional societies, management compensation schemes, and social capital networks. In fact, the authors argue that a lack of trust—or even outright distrust—may in many circumstances be more beneficial in creating cooperation. Lack of trust motivates people to reduce risks and establish institutions that promote cooperation. A stout distrust of government prompted America's founding fathers to establish a system in which leaders are highly accountable to their constituents, and in which checks and balances keep the behavior of government officials in line with the public will. Such institutional mechanisms are generally more dependable in securing cooperation than simple faith in the trustworthiness of others. Cooperation Without Trust? suggests that trust may be a complement to governing institutions, not a substitute for them. Whether or not the decline in trust documented by social surveys actually indicates an erosion of trust in everyday situations, this book argues that society is not in peril. Even if we were a less trusting society, that would not mean we are a less functional one. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Series on Trust

Author: John A. List
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1781009074
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 521

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'Until not much more than 20 years ago, economists frequently lamented the fact that they were limited in their empirical analyses to statistical assessments of market behavior, because controlled economic experiments were (thought to be) infeasible, unethical, or both. Much has changed in the intervening years! In this new volume, John List, Michael Price, and their co-authors provide a diverse set of applications of experimental approaches to the environmental economics realm. This is among the most promising of new areas of research in the economics of the environment, and this book provides a superb point of entry for experts and novices alike.' – Robert Stavins, Harvard University, US Laboratory and field experiments have grown significantly in prominence over the past decade. The experimental method provides randomization in key variables therefore permitting a deeper understanding of important economic phenomena. This path-breaking volume provides a valuable collection of experimental work within the area of environmental and resource economics and showcases how laboratory and field experiments can be used for both positive and normative purposes. The Handbook provides a timely reminder to social scientists, policymakers, international bodies, and practitioners that appropriate decision-making relies on immediate and sharp feedback, both of which are key features of proper experimentation. This book includes a collection of research that makes use of the experimental method to explore key issues within environmental and resource economics that will prove invaluable for both students and academics working in these areas.

Author: Amy Poteete
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400835151
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 371

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Advances in the social sciences have emerged through a variety of research methods: field-based research, laboratory and field experiments, and agent-based models. However, which research method or approach is best suited to a particular inquiry is frequently debated and discussed. Working Together examines how different methods have promoted various theoretical developments related to collective action and the commons, and demonstrates the importance of cross-fertilization involving multimethod research across traditional boundaries. The authors look at why cross-fertilization is difficult to achieve, and they show ways to overcome these challenges through collaboration. The authors provide numerous examples of collaborative, multimethod research related to collective action and the commons. They examine the pros and cons of case studies, meta-analyses, large-N field research, experiments and modeling, and empirically grounded agent-based models, and they consider how these methods contribute to research on collective action for the management of natural resources. Using their findings, the authors outline a revised theory of collective action that includes three elements: individual decision making, microsituational conditions, and features of the broader social-ecological context. Acknowledging the academic incentives that influence and constrain how research is conducted, Working Together reworks the theory of collective action and offers practical solutions for researchers and students across a spectrum of disciplines.

Author: Elinor Ostrom
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107569788
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Tackles one of the most enduring and contentious issues of positive political economy: common pool resource management.