Abstract
We examine the processes of collective management of water resources for agriculture within the wider context of environmental change in a coastal region of Bangladesh. We argue that while the formal propositions of rational-actor theories (such as the Institutional Analysis and Design Framework) help to identify the potential constraints to collective action (e.g., the free rider problem), these propositions need to be seen in the substantive social context of any given case. Findings show that the pattern of collective water management is crucially dependent on the individual economic incentives for participation as well as the social structures and norms that influence the behaviour of different classes of actor, including those with conflicting economic incentives. By examining the substantive processes of negotiation and decision-making around specific problems of water management, we are able to identify the contingent set of factors that shape the responses of different actors, enabling or constraining desirable collective outcomes.
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The research for this paper was funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) through a scholarship for the principal author.
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The authors have no conflicts of interest in connection with this research. The research adhered to the guidelines of the ethical review process at The University of Queensland. Participation in the study was by informed consent. Participants were fully informed in their own language about the purpose, methods, and intended possible uses of the research, that their participation was completely voluntary, and that they were free to withdraw from the study at any time and to leave any question unanswered. Participants were assured that any information collected from them would be used only for research purposes and their identity would not be disclosed.
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Afroz, S., Cramb, R. & Grunbuhel, C. Collective Management of Water Resources in Coastal Bangladesh: Formal and Substantive Approaches. Hum Ecol 44, 17–31 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9809-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9809-x