Master thesis

2.1Problem Formulation

How is the local governance determining the success or failure of the CPRs in three agro-climatic regions in Rajasthan, India?

2.1.1Description of Problem formulation

The hypothesis of this thesis is; a CPR, sustainably managed and used, can provide the community with a self-empowering tool for improving the natural resources, on which they are dependant. Furthermore, a sustainable managed CPR will provide direct and indirect benefits in terms of increased use values and more tangible ecological benefits. Additionally, this will positively affect the general development of the community in the form of spill-over effects such as; efforts to build a school or to resolve conflicts. It could also prove a powerful tool in mitigating the severe degradation of the natural resources in India and turn this progress with the sustainable community management of CPR.

Governance or management programs applied to the CPR, being it Community Pastures, Community Forests or Government Wastelands, are a result of human decision-making and actions and therefore the local population as well as external powers, such as government, NGO´s and/or international institutions, must be considered an integral part of the equation. Management implies control, whether being informed of economic and/or ecological processes or not. Decisions are made on the basis of goals or objectives in relation to a hierarchy of wants, either for the individual household or for the community, and based on the perception of external and internal processes²⁵.

Therefore in answering the problem formulation, it is important to capture the views, interests and social norms from the community using the CPR. Furthermore the research must also reflect the changes in livelihood due to external factors, such as policy- and law changes, changes in climate and rainfall and other social factors.

The collected data from the three districts in Rajasthan (Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Alwar), each representing an agro-climatic region, will be viewed with the advantage provided by the theoretical lenses of a conceptual framework made out of the two theories by Hardin and Ostrom. The purpose is here to discuss the findings in the cases and hereby conclude whether the overall hypothesis is correct or not, and in either case to what degree.

3.0Operationalization

3.1Design

The design of this thesis is a case design based on three agro-climatic regions of Rajasthan; this allows for an indebt analysis of the aspect within the regions, the consistencies or differences in local governance between the regions and in the end the State as a whole as examples of successes or failures. It cannot be ruled out, for example, that certain variables such as local institutional problems, climate differences, interconnection with wildlife sanctuaries or the dynamics of the different regional communities will have an impact on the management of the CPRs. These different matters must be investigated, to get a clear understanding of why the communities and intuitions act as they do. It may not be possible to incorporate all variables in all regions or villages, but I can strive to incorporate as many as possible to provide a broad and holistic picture as possible²⁶.

The case design is of both descriptive and explorative character. Descriptive because, the background must be investigated such as traditional methods for management, internal and external conflicts in the villages, the community- and institutional history. Explorative because it must be investigated what is happening in the communities right now and how are they dealing with the current status of the Commons. David de Vaus (2001) is using two terms when it comes to theory. He distinguishes between a theory testing and a theory-building case study. The intentions is not to build a new theory, so the logic option would be to make a theory-testing project, though our main purpose is not to test how well, for example, a Liberal theory or a collective action theory will hold water on the conditions in Rajasthan, but to use it to understand the matters going on in the communities in rural Rajasthan, which is why the theory-using approach is preferred. One may call the case study a “clinical case study” because the ambition is not to verify or falsify a theory, but to use different theories to diagnose the communities’ ability to manage the local commons²⁷.

3.2Use of theory

Hardin´s Tragedy of the Commons is one of the most widely accepted explanations for the overexploitation of resources, as well as being one of the most influential articles for ecologists and environmental policy researchers. It relies on classical liberalism in explaining human behaviour and economics, and states that Commons are doomed to overexploitation due to human nature. Hardin´s conclusion has become an integral part of conventional wisdom in environmental studies, resource policy, economics and political science²⁸. It has been used for formulating resource management policies around the world, where Atlantic Canada Fisheries were one of the first and major national policies²⁹. Due to the overall degradation of the community commons in Rajasthan, this theory can give insight to why this is happening and why the actors behave as they do.

Elinor Ostrom´s Governing the Commons is a fairly resent theory. She was awarded the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, for her analysis of economic governance, specifically concerning the commons. To a CPR with certain characteristics she argues that local organization can and have been successful in maintaining the resource and avoiding overexploitation. This theory will be helpful in order to understand when and where community organization of the Commons is effective, if at all, and the difference between Indian national policy and the situation in the field.

However, in realisation that the chosen theories and concepts might not be able to explain what I initially expected them to; new concepts may be introduced in the analysis. This due to the character of the project process, as new empirical findings might reveal unexpected issues that the chosen theories are not able to explain³⁰.