An Institutional Analysis of the Failure of Post-Soviet Reforms in Tozhu District, Republic of Tyva

Abstract

"In this paper I will give some historical background to the institutional arrangements that pertained among the Tozhu during Soviet times that regulated most aspects of life for the Tozhu-Tyva reindeer herders of the Siberian Republic of Tyva. I will then discuss the formal institutions that have been prescribed since the collapse of the state farm system to manage economic activities, but which have failed. While this collapse of institutional structures and subsequent institutional void has devastated the reindeer herders, it has also given rise to new patterns of regularized and repeated behavior, which could be the seeds of new grassroots institutions. I will look specifically at the management of wild animal resources as an example of a common-pool dilemma. Finally, by way of conclusion, I will hazard some suggestions for institutional changes that may address these problems."