Geographical Factors and Efficiency of Institutional Forms in Forest Utilization

Abstract

From Introduction:

"In this paper, I will attempt to provide a theoretical justification for the proposition that collective management of forest resources by villagers in certain ecological environments under certain management objectives will be more efficient than private or government management and control of these resources.After all, at the heart of the debate on whether villagers can collectively protect their forest resources is the question of efficient management of these resources. I will use stylized facts from secondary sources to construct the ecological environment that I am interested in investigating. While this particular imaginary situation may not exist in reality, it will describe significant and relevant characteristics of large areas in the Middle Himalayas. Although existing case studies describe these features, usually in detail, they often fail to appreciate the manner in which these features mesh together."