Distributive Preferences and Fair Water Sharing among Farmers in India

Benjamin Ouvrard, Arnaud Reynaud and Murudaiah Sivamurthy
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Benjamin Ouvrard: TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes
Arnaud Reynaud: TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement
Murudaiah Sivamurthy: University of Agricultural Sciences , Bangalore

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Abstract: Using an experimental setting inspired by the empirical social choice literature, we analyze how Indian farmers define fair water allocation. We investigate the choices of 240 Indian farmers who — as a neutral third-party — are asked to make water allocation decisions in situations that differ, such as the agricultural area in which each farmer grows crops, the responsibilities of farmers in each agricultural area, and the nature of their water resource (lake versus river). Our findings highlight the impact of contextual variables: respondents tend to endorse equal water distribution when farmers have identical land sizes but lean toward proportional allocation when differences in land size exist. However, this inclination toward proportional allocation diminishes when discrepancies in land size result from farmers' own decisions rather than external factors. Additionally, we uncover indications of a link between farmers' inclinations toward pro-social behavior and their preference for proportional allocation.

Keywords: Fairness; Equity; Common pool resource; India; Water sharing; Agriculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-02-25
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Published in Water Economics and Policy, 2025, ⟨10.1142/S2382624X24400058⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05017583

DOI: 10.1142/S2382624X24400058

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