Rural community and leadership in the management of natural resources: Tensions between theory and policy

The Local Turn: an Introductory Essay Revisiting Leadership, Elite Capture and Good Governance in Indonesian Conservation and Development Programs

“…Critics point to significant gaps, ambiguities and contradictions in the theoretical frameworks and case-study evidence surrounding community-based conservation and development interventions that indicate serious disjunctions between theory and practice (Harriss 1997 ; Fine 2001 ; Harriss 2001 ; Bebbington et al 2004 ; Gray 2005 ; Li 2007 ; Mosse 2008 ; Mansuri and Rao 2013 ; Saunders 2014 ). Key areas of continuing debate are the focus of unresolved dilemmas for conservation and development programs: First of all, there are fundamental tensions between the goals of inclusive socio-economic development and conservation strategies, because most natural resource dependent growth is ultimately implicated in resource depletion.…”

Institutional thickness and institutional effectiveness: developing regional indices for policy and practice in Australia

“…There is a considerable body of work documenting the importance of farmers and other land owners as leaders in rural communities. Gray, Williams, and Emery (2005) noted that in many parts of rural and regional Australia 'community leaders tend to be older, better educated, have higher incomes and are male. Community leaders are also disproportionately drawn from the land-based elite' (p. 132).…”

To Cooperate or not to Cooperate...? : Collective action for rehabilitation of traditional water tunnel systems (qanats) in Syria

“…Ian Gray calls for a greater emphasis on the role of community power relations and natural resource management (Gray, 1992(Gray, , 2005. The research literature recognizes leadership and social capital as important elements in community organization but there is tension between the two concepts when the concept of power is introduced (Gray, 2005).…”

“…The research literature recognizes leadership and social capital as important elements in community organization but there is tension between the two concepts when the concept of power is introduced (Gray, 2005). Gray (1992) states that local political structures and ideologies determine the content of local politics, as some interest groups are empowered while others are not.…”

“…Rural community studies have shown that, even where local people strongly believe their community to be untied and cohesive, social marginalisation and exclusion occur (Gray, 1992). Power and relationships are at the core of development and leadership programmes (Gray, 2005;Chambers, 2005). The various applications of decentralisation and participatory approaches in development interventions involve and induce shifts in power (Nelson & Wright, 1995;Boelens, 2003;Abraham & Platteau, 2004;Chambers, 2005).…”