Factors that Contribute to Participation in Common Property Resource Management: The Case of Chobe Enclave and Ghanzi/Kgalagadi, Botswana

Abstract

"This paper studies the determinants of participation in common property resource (CPR) management activities, and in particular the effect of heterogeneity on incentives for individuals to participate in groups that provide some shared economic benefits. We are especially interested in whether and how much the degree of heterogeneity in communities influences the level of participation in CPR management. We address such questions as: Is participation in CPR management higher or lower in more heterogeneous communities? When inequality increases, is it the 'poor' or the 'rich' who drop out of the common property regimes? Does this depend on the type of group access rules? The literature on CPR management highlights the physical and technical characteristics of the resource, the characteristics of the group of users, and the attributes of institutional arrangements as key factors affecting the management capacity of local organisations. Using survey data from Chobe Enclave and Ghanzi/Kgalagadi areas of Botswana, we conclude that, after controlling for many individual characteristics, participation in CPR management is significantly lower in more unequal and in more racially or ethnically fragmented localities. The findings suggest that income inequality and racial and ethnic heterogeneity reduce the propensity to participate CPR management. We also conclude that those individuals with lower social status are less likely to participate in common property management the more racially heterogeneous their community is. These results are consistent with our model of participation in CPR management."