The Ties that Bind: The Role of Hmong Social Networks in Developing Small-scale Rubber Cultivation in Laos

Ian G. Baird and Pao Vue

Mobilities, 2017, vol. 12, issue 1, 136-154

Abstract: Many ethnic Hmong in Laos have developed small-scale rubber plantations due to high international demand and prices. Drawing on social network theory we consider the role of different types of networks, and their links to transportation and communications improvements, in influencing rubber development. The four social networks identified as being particularly important to the Hmong are: lineage, blood ties, clan relations, and self-identity of being Hmong. These relations are affecting the tenure and financial arrangements being adopted by small-scale Hmong rubber cultivators, but our findings demonstrate considerable variation in the importance of Hmong social networks. There are also broader implications.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1080/17450101.2015.1016821

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