A Theory of Access*

Abstract

The term “access” is frequently used by property and natural resource analysts without adequate definition. In this paper we develop a concept of access and examine a broad set of factors that differentiate access from property. We define access as “the ability to derive benefits from things,” broadening from property's classical definition as “the right to benefit from things.” Access, following this definition, is more akin to “a bundle of powers” than to property's notion of a “bundle of rights.” This formulation includes a wider range of social relationships that constrain or enable benefits from resource use than property relations alone. Using this framing, we suggest a method of access analysis for identifying the constellations of means, relations, and processes that enable various actors to derive benefits from resources. Our intent is to enable scholars, planners, and policy makers to empirically “map” dynamic processes and relationships of access.

Access and Property: A Question of Power and Authority

“…Access, by contrast, is broader and includes property. Law or other social norms do not sanction and encompass all forms of possession: it is equally important that social actors gain and maintain access to resources in many ways that do not amount to property (Leach et al, 1999;Ribot and Peluso, 2003). A variety of access mechanisms condition people's access to resources and benefits.…”

“…People attempt to consolidate their claims to land and other resources in various ways, often in pursuit of turning their access to resources into recognized property. In our argument we bring together two perspectives on resource use that often remain separated, and which have produced two strands in the literature -one on broader accesspower relations (such as Berry, 1993;Ribot and Peluso, 2003) and another on the narrower property-authority relations (including Lund, 2002. In the process, we hope to clear up some of the dynamics generating the ambiguity of property observed in post-colonial and post-socialist settings (cf.…”

Gendered vulnerabilities to climate change: insights from the semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia

“…Access to resources (land, water and money) is important, but how these link to social roles, norms, values and cultural identities in different contexts needs exploration (Moosa & Tuana, 2014;Ribot & Peluso, 2003). How, for instance, do differences in household structures and conjugal relations, the divisions of labour, and rights and responsibilities embedded therein, shape adaptation?…”

Toward thick legitimacy: Creating a web of legitimacy for agroecology

“…In some ways, the bundle of legitimation threads resembles the 'theory of access' that Ribot and Peluso (2003) develop to investigate the politics of gaining access to resources such as land and knowledge. By 'coproduced', we mean that the bundled processes are building, shaping, and strengthening each other.…”