Common Property and Power: An Initial Exploration

Abstract

"Sustainable development depends on the maintenance of institutions that can be effective in providing ecologically sound development across generations. Recent research which examines local common property management of natural resources claims that the sustainable use of these resources can be attained without the need of state intervention or privatization. The state and market, however, represent strong and competing social forces in all societies. What is the nature of the internal power relationships that sustain such effective institutions? On what basis can we expect that small local groups will be able to maintain their common control of natural resources? This exploratory paper examines several issues surrounding the concept of power which are vital to our understanding of the ability of common property institutions to provide sustainable use of natural resources."