Herd Mobility and Waterpoint Use in Northern Kenya

In many regions of the world, property rights to natural resources are held under various forms of communal ownership, which often exhibit flexibility for users to access different resources depending on relative need. Here, we analyze the impact of climatic variability on resource use, and examine the transactions cost of access in these flexible systems.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Social movement networks, policy processes, and forest tenure activism in Indonesia

This thesis aims to answer the following question: How do environmental movement networks sustain collective action in order to influence forest tenure reforms in Indonesia? In doing so, it expressly relies on a relational approach to social movement studies that recognizes the interaction between the social structure and agency and the role of culture in shaping social movement networks. It relies on a mixed methods research design to study the forms and features of networks as well as the context, the meaning and the ongoing social processes that underlie environmental networks. The first paper provides a macro-level analysis of the changing political context and of the forces internal to the environmental movement that have led to reforms in forest tenure policies in the last decade in Indonesia. The second paper presents the research design of the thesis and discusses how specific theoretical approaches to social movement networks affect the choice of analytical methods and how relational approaches call for the use of mixed methods. The rest of the thesis analyzes meso-level features of inter-organizational networking among environmental movement organizations (EMOs) and between EMOs and state actors. The third paper examines the role communication networks among EMOs in coalition work and illustrates how environmental values and common discursive practices can be important coalescing forces. The fourth paper investigates the role of external institutionalization, contention and cooperation in relational forms of activism with state actors. It analyzes how the environmental movement, despite the use of moderate tactics, has avoided co-optation. The fifth paper investigates the contingency of political opportunities at the mesolevel. It suggests that at the inter-organizational level access to the state is dependent on the type of actors involved, their behavior and experiences, and the issue of contention, and it shows that EMOs can in part shape political opportunitie

Overview

This brief defines property rights and collective action and discusses the links to sustainability of natural resource management and agricultural systems and to poverty reduction, as well as the implications for policy and practice.Property rights ,Collective action ,Agricultural systems ,

International conference on policy and institutional options for the management of rangelands in dry areas: workshop summary paper

"The System-wide Program for Collective Action and Property Rights (CAPRi) sponsored an International Conference on Policy and Institutional Options for the Management of Rangelands in Dry Areas, May 7-11, 2001 in Hammamet, Tunisia. The conference focused on institutional aspects of rangeland management and brought together policy makers and researchers from North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and West Asia to discuss sustainable rangeland production strategies and livelihood of pastoral communities in dry areas. This conference summary paper contains summaries of the CAPRi sponsored research findings on institutional options for rangeland, policy makers' interventions and reactions as well as the synthesis of discussion groups. These working groups evaluated outcomes of policies and institutions guiding rangeland management in terms of their impact on livelihoods and environmental sustainability, and explored alternative policies and institutional strategies in light of their capacity to reduce poverty and enhance food security. " Author's AbstractDry areas, Rangelands, Pastoralism, Livelihoods, Environmental sustainability, Poverty reduction, food security, natural resources management, Collective action, case studies, Institutions, Property rights, Capacity,

Policy Actor’s Discourses and Interactions Coalitions on the Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Domains - A Brazilian Case Study.

Transformations towards effective and righteous climate policies, institutions and actions require coherent policies on climate change mitigation and adaptation, from global to local level. In Brazil, most of the GHG emissions come from changes in land use and from the agriculture and livestock sectors. Agro systems and natural systems such forests are connected when we think about climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and both systems have a key role in supporting transformation towards resilient social- ecological systems. We present a case-study analysis on the Brazilian climate change policy process related to forest, agriculture and livestock. The paper is based on a mix-method approach combining social network analysis (Wasserman and Faust 1994, Scott 2000, Borgatti, Everett and Johnson 2013) and discourse network analysis (Leifeld, 2013) to understand the arrangement of actors according to their discourses and beliefs and according to their interactions with other actors in the climate change policy domain. Our objective is to understand the relationship between discourse and interaction – information exchange and collaboration – networks and how this combination is likely to produce an effect on the policy process towards transformation in the mitigation and adaptation policies in Brazil. The case-study is a result of analysis of 105 interviews gathered in 2014 and 2015, with policy actors from distinct sectors in Brazil

Decentralization, pro-poor land policies, and democratic governance:

"Decentralized approaches to development are gaining increasing prominence. Land tenure reform policy has been affected by many different types of decentralization. However, the literature on land tenure reform rarely explicitly addressed the implications of decentralization, and vice versa. This paper provides a review of how the issues of decentralization are linked to land tenure reform, in theory and practice. Both decentralization and land tenure reform each encompass a number of different, but related concepts and approaches. We begin with clarifying some key terms related to these different approaches, then look in more detail at contending perspectives on decentralization, and how these relate to the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) pillars of democratic governance. We then review the different types of land tenure reform in terms of the role of centralized and decentralized institutions, illustrating the strengths and weaknesses, gaps and challenges with experience from a range of developing countries. The final section turns to conclusions and policy recommendations, considering how decentralized approaches to land tenure reform can contribute to goals such as gender equity, social cohesion, human rights, and the identity of indigenous peoples." authors' abstractDecentralization, Land, Tenure reform, Democratic governance, Rights, Registration, Redistribution, Restitution, Recognition, Devolution,

Understanding property rights

The authors describe property rights as "overlapping 'bundles' of rights", which can be grouped as "use rights" and "control or decisionmaking rights". The authors then explain the concept of legal pluralism or many sources of rights and the implications for property rights. from Text.Property rights ,Decision-making ,Legal pluralism ,Collective action ,

Collective action and property rights for sustainable development:

John W. Bruce.Collective behavior, Property rights, Public goods, Agroforestry, Irrigation, Fisheries, Forest management, Rangelands, plant genetic resources, Pests Management, Watersheds, Agribusiness, extension activities, extension-research linkages, Collective action, Environmental management, Devolution, Gender, Capacity,

Property rights, collective action, and plant genetic resources

"Many factors affect the conservation of biodiversity, including demographic changes, technological developments, national agricultural policies, and economic, social, and cultural factors. Institutional aspects related to property rights and collective action play a key role in local plant genetic conservation outcomes... Policymakers should be aware of the links between property rights, collective action, and local conservation of local plant genetic diversity. It is important to take into account local regulatory frameworks as well as the existence and overlap of multiple legal systems, try to build on these, and avoid policies that might in fact reduce access to genetic diversity for local populations, in order to avoid eroding genetic diversity and increasing the vulnerability of the poor." from Text.Poverty alleviation ,Property rights ,Collective action ,

REDD+ politics in the media : A case study from Vietnam

Special Issue: Shifting global development discourses - Implications for forests and livelihoods ( Vol. 19, Supplement 1, December 2017)Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) is an international effort to create financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from land uses. Vietnam is engaged in the international REDD+ debate and is a partner to numerous multi- and bilateral agreements. Different actors have diverse interests in the REDD+ agenda, and in Vietnam, even though an authoritarian state, different views exist on what REDD+ should achieve. Through the analysis of media articles this study intends to understand how public debates on REDD+ are framed in the Vietnamese policy domain and how actors use the media to promote their interests. Reporting about a diversity of actors and interests, in particular related to expressions of equity concerns in media frames could reflect a growing inclusive political space. Our findings show that while state actors dominate REDD+ media frames, some limited space is present for non-state actors’ interests, but equity issue discussed still reflect predominantly state mediated concerns. However, caution is still required due to the limitations these findings come with.Peer reviewe