Responsibility-driven collective action in the context of rapid rural depopulation

Abstract

China has witnessed unprecedented and rapid urbanization which has led to the depopulation and structural collapse of many traditional rural village communities, and the decline of many collective functions such as the effective management of the public realm. In seeking to address this problem it is clear from the literature that there is considerable potential in catalyzing collective action, particularly where there is a moral imperative to act and the availability of leaders with the ability to organize the collective. However, while there is evidence that community-based collective action has provided effective localized solution pathways for managing collective goods when the focus has been on the distribution of benefits, there is little evidence about its potential in scenarios associated with the distribution of costs, or responsibilities. In addressing this asymmetry, we present a case study of a typical village near Shanghai which has successfully established a community based environmental management system, and describe the process, characteristics and influencing factors of its responsibility-centered collective action. Our findings show that smart Pingyang Liu Writing-original draft Methodology Conceptualization a,b

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