What Explains Collective Action in the Commons? Theory and Evidence from the Philippines

Eduardo Araral

World Development, 2009, vol. 37, issue 3, 687-697

Abstract: Summary I examine the factors that influence collective action in the commons using econometric analyses on a data set of 1958 irrigation associations in the Philippines. I find that collective action is associated with water scarcity, proximity to markets, group size, farm size, and governance structure. Water scarcity has a curvilinear effect on collective action and is mediated by the governance structure. The results suggest the need for a diagnostic approach in the analysis of institutional arrangements in diverse socio-ecological settings. These also suggest that collective action in the commons is more complex than is conventionally assumed in the decentralization literature.

Keywords: collective; action; commons; decentralization; free; riding; irrigation; Asia; Philippines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (68)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:37:y:2009:i:3:p:687-697

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