Intersubjective meaning and collective action in'fragile'societies: theory, evidence and policy implications

Varun Gauri, Michael Woolcock and Deval Desai

No 5707, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: The capacity to act collectively is not just a matter of groups sharing interests, incentives and values (or being sufficiently small), as standard economic theory predicts, but a prior and shared understanding of the constituent elements of problem(s) and possible solutions. From this standpoint, the failure to act collectively can stem at least in part from relevant groups failing to ascribe a common intersubjective meaning to situations, processes and events. Though this is a general phenomenon, it is particularly salient in countries characterized by societal fragility and endemic conflict. We develop a conceptual account of intersubjective meanings, explain its relevance to development practice and research, and examine its implications for development work related to building the rule of law and managing common pool resources.

Keywords: Corporate Law; Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures; Cultural Policy; Labor Policies; Population Policies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-06-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-hpe and nep-soc
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:5707

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