Laats, Henkjan. 1998. "Collective Action, Property Relations and Natural Resource Management: Comparative Study between Two Peruvian and Nepalese Villages." Presented at "Crossing Boundaries", Seventh Conference of the International Association for Common Property, Simon Frasier University, June 10-14.

Abstract

From Page One:

"This paper will focus on the method and the motivation as to why users choose to manage the natural resources of their community in a collective or in a more individual manner.

"Natural resource management is defined as the process of decision making about the use of natural resources for fulfilling basic and other needs. People involved in natural resource management are faced with various social dilemmas, which are conflicts between individual and collective interests; it is rational for people to make selfish choices although it would be better for everyone if they were co-operative choices.

"Property relations influence how people will decide to manage their resources, and therefore how people deal with social dilemmas. It is the aim of this paper to describe how social dilemmas effect the management of natural resources and how official and local property relations influence the way people deal with social dilemmas.

"In line with the conference theme, "Crossing Boundaries", this paper will examine and discuss both Nepalese and Peruvian villages, and try to describe these villages from an holistic perspective: crossing disciplines, bridging practice and theory, relating local knowledge and intervening action, connecting different resource types and in the case of Peru, will consider the influence of different jurisdictions."