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Governing the commons in Mexico's Mixteca Alta: Linking Ostrom's design principles and comunalidad

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  • Lorenzen, Matthew
  • Orozco-Ramírez, Quetzalcóatl
  • Ramírez-Santiago, Rosario
  • Garza, Gustavo G.

Abstract

Elinor Ostrom demonstrated the inadequacy of the “tragedy of the commons” thesis, according to which natural resources are depleted in common-property systems because individuals have few incentives to limit their consumption, leading to the idea that privatization or government intervention are needed. Ostrom showed that the tragedy of the commons can be avoided by the users of a common-pool resource themselves through self-organized and self-governed arrangements. She also proposed a series of “design principles” that would favor a successful governance of common-pool resources. In this paper, we use Ostrom's design principles as a framework to study the governance of wooded areas and grazing lands in 10 communities of Mexico's Mixteca Alta region. Based on interviews with local authorities, we corroborate that Ostrom's design principles are key factors that help explain a successful governance of common-pool resources. Furthermore, we argue that this success is also rooted in the characteristics of local governance systems, which are based on indigenous uses and customs and an ethos of communality (comunalidad), and have been formalized by the Mexican State. By showing the links between Ostrom's design principles and comunalidad, we highlight the importance of taking into consideration the local context and social capital to explain the successful governance of common-pool resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzen, Matthew & Orozco-Ramírez, Quetzalcóatl & Ramírez-Santiago, Rosario & Garza, Gustavo G., 2022. "Governing the commons in Mexico's Mixteca Alta: Linking Ostrom's design principles and comunalidad," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:forpol:v:145:y:2022:i:c:s1389934122001757
    DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2022.102862
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lorenzen, Matthew & Orozco-Ramírez, Quetzalcóatl & Ramírez-Santiago, Rosario & Garza, Gustavo G., 2021. "The forest transition as a window of opportunity to change the governance of common-pool resources: The case of Mexico’s Mixteca Alta," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    2. Euler, Johannes, 2018. "Conceptualizing the Commons: Moving Beyond the Goods-based Definition by Introducing the Social Practices of Commoning as Vital Determinant," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 10-16.
    3. Larson, Anne M. & Cronkleton, Peter J. & Pulhin, Juan M., 2015. "Formalizing Indigenous Commons: The Role of ‘Authority’ in the Formation of Territories in Nicaragua, Bolivia, and the Philippines," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 228-238.
    4. Lorenzen, Matthew & Orozco-Ramírez, Quetzalcóatl & Ramírez-Santiago, Rosario & Garza, Gustavo G., 2020. "Migration, socioeconomic transformation, and land-use change in Mexico’s Mixteca Alta: Lessons for forest transition theory," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    5. Clement, Floriane & Harcourt, W. J. & Joshi, Deepa & Sato, C., "undated". "Feminist political ecologies of the commons and commoning. Editorial," Papers published in Journals (Open Access) H049382, International Water Management Institute.
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