Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Resource Economics

Dissertation of Srinivasa Reddy Srigiri, 2010

Institutions of Collective Action for Resource Protection and Poverty Reduction: Participation of the Poor in Watershed Management in India

Start: April 2003
End: Juni 2010

Community based natural resource management (NRM) initiatives present a mixed picture of success across the world. Several investigations into such initiatives revealed a multitude of factors determining the success or failure of communities to act collectively for NRM. The doctoral study focuses on the watershed development projects implemented in the federal state of Andhra Pradesh in India following the guidelines of the ‘participatory watershed development’ by the Government of India. It follows the general objective of understanding the conditions that foster and hinder the emergence and endurance of collective action institutions brought through interventions as well as local initiatives to manage natural resources and reduce poverty. The study relies on primary data collected at two levels from 87 watershed communities and 390 households to draw its conclusions. An in-depth analysis of the action situation reveals the important role institutions of property rights to crucial resources like land and water play in determining participation of individuals in collective action. The study also highlights the political exigency in creating enabling environment for communities to engage in collective action to design, change and enforce rules for sustainable NRM and fair distribution of benefits.

Researcher: Srigiri, Srinivasa Reddy

Cooperation Partners: International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, India.

Advisors: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Konrad Hagedorn


Funding: BMZ