Property Right, Risk of Eviction and Degradation of Common Pool Resources

Abstract

"In order to understand the impact of improperly enforced property right on degradation pattern of a forest CPR , this paper utilises two models of the process. In section 2 we consider a very simple model where ownership of private plot of land is combined together with resource extraction from a common forest land under improper property right structure (ie where property rights are not clearly defined). We seek to find out the conditions under which forest land resources in open access situation tend to be converted to agricultural land by private owners. In section 3 we consider a squatting model in newly settled/ encroached region with hardly any properly implemented property right on the land used for agricultural purposes as well as the CPR forest land used for resource extraction purposes. In this section we seek to derive the impact of changes in perception of risk of eviction from the encroached land on the degradation of the forested land resources, under certain conditions. Section 4 is devoted to concluding observations and policy prescriptions."