The Commons: Not Always...( cessful resource management tends to oc...)

cessful resource management tends to occur in relatively small groups and that government involvement is no guarantee of success. For example, in the case of irrigation systems in Nepal, the local farmer-managed systems, although more primitive, were more effective than sophisticated, government-owned irrigation systems. Situations such as this one lead the researchers to conclude that resource users need autonomy to make and enforce their rules. In addition, individuals who depend on a resource for a major part of their livelihood and who have some autonomy in making rules about resource use and access, are more likely than others to understand the advantages of the controls. The key in all cases of successful resource management is that the total benefit to the group must be valued more than the benefits to any individual.

In circumstances of resources that cover large areas-like petroleum reserves, or ocean fisheries- the regulation becomes more complex. However, the authors believe that successes on the smaller scale should be used as a point of departure for solving common-pool resource management at the global level. Two promising avenues to meet the global challenges are management through multilevel institutions including local users, regional and multinational governments, and technological advances to monitor and track resource use. According to Field, "Effective management of common-pool resources is a preeminent requirement for coping with global change. Though difficult, satisfying this requirement need not be hopeless, if we face it with a clear assessment of the challenges and a clear understanding of past successes and failures."

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

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Contact: Christopher Field
chris@jasper.stanford.edu
650-325-1521 x213
Carnegie Institution
8-Apr-1999

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