How does context affect self-governance? Examining Ostrom’s design principles in China

Abstract

Ostrom's Design Principles (DPs) are believed to be a set of the best practical guidance for governing natural resources, but applying the DP theory should consider the local context, especially the political context, which has been examined little so far. Using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework as a conceptual and analytical lens, this paper examines the impact of authoritarian context on self-governance in China. Based on the results of Barnard's test and Crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA), our comparative analysis of nine Water Users Association cases provides consistent evidence that supports the DP theory generally on all outcome dimensions. But self-governance under authoritarianism has unique characteristics and its operation depends on proper design of institutional configuration in accordance with context. Our analysis highlights the influence of resource intervention and leadership intervention. It sheds new insights for understanding the significant impacts of the authoritarian context on institutional design of common-pool resources.

Institutional Performance of Collective Irrigation Systems: A Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis in the Nile Delta of Egypt

“…The political context also has a vital role in shaping local irrigation institutions [10,34]. Gouda [22] shows how water and agricultural policy changes since the 1950s significantly affect local water management in the Nile Delta.…”

“…Yu et al [9] find that Ostrom's design principles in a totalitarian context such as China are not enough to understand local irrigation institutions, and more attention should be paid to contextual factors. Wang et al [10] also suggest that it is vital to examine the configuration between these principles in context when applying Ostrom's design principles.…”

“…Nonetheless, limited empirical research, in terms of configurational thinking, has been conducted to discern how the interaction effect between multiple CPR factors influences the likelihood of success in governing CPR [10,17,18]. For example, understanding the interaction effect between a resource system's geographical area and its number of users is overlooked in the CPR literature [19].…”

Women’s Political Leadership and Adult Health: Evidence from Rural and Urban China

“…Elections for members are held every three years. Each committee is headed by a director responsible for making executive decisions and delegating other committee members to handle civil disputes, public order and security, family planning and public health initiatives, social welfare, collective finance, and other community affairs (Wang, Zhang, and Kang 2019). Although China is an authoritarian country, community committees are, in principle, autonomous organizations working for the welfare of their constituents.…”

“…The rural Chinese population continues to live in close-knit villages and is embedded in local social networks formed generations ago, so community committee members and their leaders are usually well known and respected. Such social and spatial proximity provides community committees with greater persuasive power to enforce upper-level government directives and local village affairs (Wang et al 2019). Close social ties also enable the diffusion of new ideas and attitudes.…”