Institutional Dynamics of Local Self Governance Systems in the Malabar Coast, Kerala

Abstract

"The effectiveness of state laws continues to challenge the top-down management of common property resources in many coastal villages in Kerala. Most often, state's response to common property management is unidirectional and opens up channels to transform common property rights to open access. Amidst these institutional struggles, local self governing institutions continue to challenge state legal systems and evolve multi-dimensional governance systems. This paper documents the working of intrinsically diverse kadakkody (sea court) system in the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India and discusses how the local level community-based self-governing institutions change due to technological developments and state interventions. The Kadakodi system that existed in the study area during the pre-mechanisation era was an integrated complex governing system of the artisanal fishermen with regulative, normative and cognitive functions. The paper addresses three questions. What was the nature and functions of the kadakkodi system during the pre-mechanisation era? What are the major drivers of change? How did this system overcome stresses and adapt to the challenges of globalisation?"