Soziale Netzwerke im kollektiven Handeln und Entscheiden: das Allmende-Problem einer Dörfergemeinschaft im Nordwesten Senegals

Abstract

"This study investigates the influence of social structures and social networks on collective decision making of a fragmented, heterogeneous committee which is responsible for the extraction and distribution of a common-pool resource, water, in an agro-pastoral village community in Senegal. It shows how self-management of this common good succeeds despite of conflict and distrust between peasants and semi-nomads. The analysis combines, for the first time, the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework with social interaction models of Biased Net Theory and dynamics of committee decision making, thereupon extending the analytical approach. The study reveals that collective action in an institution depends upon the segmented structure of the social interactions, the integrative character of the institution, the representation of the various subgroups in the committee, and the existence of an influential core of decision makers who occupy also central positions in the villages."