Property entitlements and land reform in upland Thai catchments

Issues involved in processes of land reform in degraded upland catchment areas in Thailand include property entitlements over local resource complexes, and the roles of local communities in relation to State agency and commercial stakeholders. An inquiry into collaborative action between stakeholders in an upland Thai catchment has been used as an example of the process of defining property entitlements to the bundles of opportunities for management. This paper draws upon recent conceptual advances concerning property entitlements, particularly as these relate to common-pool resources, and the complex bundle of opportunities for collective and collaborative management in upland catchments. A processual view of collective and collaborative action is the way in which interests are expressed as claims and ultimately translated into entitlements which specify rights to streams of benefits, and associated duties, in relation to a particular resource complex. Social and bureaucratic institutions will influence the way in which stakeholders can participate and interact in this process. Soft systems methodology was used as a guide for a process aimed at identifying mutually beneficial improvements in management between village, agency and commercial stakeholders. The collective and collaborative actions which have developed are all cases whereby particular bundles of property entitlements and related duties have been defined through a process of the expression of claims and identification of mutually beneficial arrangements. These have included local collective management of a water supply, partnerships relating to elements of conservation and production within the local agroecosystem, and socially legitimate patronage to support formal protocols of the land reform process. A process of inquiry which supported the identification of legitimate and mutually beneficial actions has resulted in the definition of bundles of property entitlements which specify benefits and duties by particular stakeholders, with respect to particular resource complexes. This process is discussed in terms of the expression of interests and translation into entitlements through partnerships supported by multiple lines of social and bureaucratic legitimation

Pluralism, economic rhetoric, and common property

This paper presents a preliminary discussion of different ideological traditions of economic thought. The philosophical foundations and methodological implications of neoclassical, institutional, and neo-Marxist political economy are discussed by building upon the “system of systems methodologies” as a starting “modelling space”. Drawing upon postmodern discourses, this typology is used as a rhetorical tool to assist with clear exposition. Two general applications are discussed, firstly a conceptual application to some contemporary perspectives of common property, and secondly a practical application to questions of investment in stormwater and wastewater. It is concluded that previously unrecognised common ground can emerge from attempts to communicate across traditional organisational and ideological divides

Meta-methodology

Action research is becoming increasingly recognized as a meta-methodology by which the researcher learns the way into the details and complexity of the situation of interest. As an extension of natural approaches to problem-solving which involve cycles of intention, action and review, Bob Dick has described the essential enhancements gained from an action research approach. These include enhancement of review as critical reflection, greater attention to rigour and theory, care in identifying who else to involve and flexibility to borrow and develop processes as a result of these reflective concerns. Action research as a meta-methodology requires a critical appreciation of methodological underpinnings and implications, and it can enable a more systemic and multilayered inquiry into real-world situations and issues. How different methodologies can be complementary or conflicting in their underlying ideologies is a critical issue which is both long-standing and of continuing contemporary importance. An outline is provided in the following sections regarding questions of pluralism and complementarity and the generative dimension of action research. This is followed by a brief description of some recent applications of action research as meta-methodology from psychological, environmental and educational domains of practice

Achieving successful project outcomes through capacity-building : a case example of international environmental policy and management

This paper focuses on the systemic challenge of ‘capacity-building’ as a means to achieve successful project outcomes. Focusing generally on the domain of environmental and natural resource management and policy, a brief review reflects the breadth of application of this term. A number of conceptual definitions are discussed, relating to processes of project and public administration, role within broader social transformations, dimensions of organisational capacity-building, and a recent Australian perspective regarding inter-relationships with institutional arrangements. A case example is described of the design features being utilised by the authors for international capacity building programs, including principles of action learning, transdisciplinarity and mentoring. A discussion of this case considers the target of these programs, Chinese technologists and managers, along with a reflection of transdisciplinarity as an emergent process, the role of meta-methodologies and frameworks of interpretation, and the role of Universities in their involvement in action research

Engaging communities of practice for risk communication in the Hawkesbury Water Recycling Scheme

Sustainable conceptions of urban water management include the recycling of treated effluent and urban stormwater as valued resources. The future acceptability and confidence in these initiatives depends upon pluralist approaches for communicating and managing associated risks. The case study described here focuses on risk communication and management associated with the Hawkesbury Water Recycling Scheme near Sydney, Australia. Action research strategies with communities of practice have contributed to the co-construction of effective risk management strategies. These strategies are both informed by differentiated perspectives and practices, and supported by a network of coordinated information. The focus on communities of practice is discussed in relation to pragmatic approaches to action research and systemic inquiry, along with the implications for the role of universities in engaging with the complex issues of sustainability

Risk perception relating to effluent reuse on a university campus

An assessment of risk perception and communication relating to existing irrigation with tertiary-treated effluent was carried out at the Hawkesbury campus of the University of Western Sydney. This involved a 'knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices' (KABP) survey of staff, students and residents of properties adjacent to the campus, and was part of health-risk assessment aimed at upgrading risk management. In order to assess acceptance of risk relating to potential additional uses, respondants were asked to comment on a wide range of hypothetical recycling options. The majority of respondents considered the irrigation of grass, trees and shrubs to be acceptable, with approximately half of the staff and residents saying that they already used grey water for this purpose at home. Also acceptable was the irrigation of sports fields, vehicle cleasing, paved surface wash-down, flushing of toilets, and the filling of ornamental ponds and wetlands. While there was only limited acceptance of effluent irrigation for food production, acceptability increased with the introduction of physical or conceptual exposure barriers, such as the peeling or cooking of vegetables, or the production of milk from irrigated pasture. Respondents perceived local risk monitoring as essential to securing safety, even if assurances regarding the original effluent quality had been given by the supplying authority. The survey revealed a need to improve formal communication of risk information to staff and students

Engaging communities of practice for risk communication in the Hawkesbury Water Recycling Scheme

Participation by the community of people likely to be involved in, or affected by, project activities has long been recognised as important, particularly regarding questions of assessing risks and potential impacts. While the term ‘community’ is often used in broad rhetorical terms this has tried to be overcome through recourse to the notion of ‘stakeholders’, and more recently towards defining communities in terms of their networks of activities and practices. This has led to a growing interest from broad ranging domains of inquiry for ‘communities of practice’ as an appropriate unit of analysis. This paper presents reflections on work in progress where communities of practice involved in the Hawkesbury Water Recycling Scheme are being engaged in a practical study focusing on risk communication and management. Differences in risks perceived by different communities of practice are represented by simple feedback diagrams that incorporate actions and information strategies to inform and manage the risks perceived. A discussion is presented in terms of first, second and third person perspectives on this application as action research

Towards the adaptive management of urban diffuse source pollution and stormwater

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Resilience of agri‐industries neighbouring the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area

There is a growing interest in applying concepts of resilience and complex adaptive systems to questions of sustainability. This research note describes the preliminary stages of a project that has used an interpretive lens of ‘panarchies in social-ecological systems’ as a means to investigate issues faced by agri-industries neighbouring the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Beginning with a brief description of the situation, conceptual and methodological aspects drawn upon in this project are described. The way in which this framework has been applied is discussed, along with complementary aspects of the inquiry being developed