Collective Action for the Management of Rural Common‑Pool Resources: The Case of Rural Communities in Shiga Prefecture
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Using rural community-level data from Shiga prefecture in Japan, we investigate the importance of community characteristics such as group size and social heterogeneity in determining the management level of irrigation channels and farm roads. We use the indices of diversity and fragmentation as a measure of social heterogeneity in rural communities. Our empirical findings provide evidence that group size has a significant negative effect on the management level of irrigation channels, and that social diversity has a significant positive effect on the management level of irrigation channels and farm roads. The empirical results support the contribution of social diversity to the management of common-pool resources such as irrigation channels and farm roads, and imply that the participation of a range of different people in the management of such resources should be considered when introducing a new policy for the conservation of farmland, water and rural environments.
Author: 剛 藤栄
Language: English
Topic: Urban and spatial planning
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2282486859