Co-Location, Socioeconomic Status and Perceptions of Environmental Change in the Indian Sundarbans
Research on the determinants of collective action in the commons generally focuses on interest-group heterogeneity, implicitly assuming that groups perceive the same problems but have different priorities. This paper changes the focus to the role p...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/156361561561975628/Co-Location-Socioeconomic-Status-and-Perceptions-of-Environmental-Change-in-the-Indian-Sundarbans http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31982 |
| Summary: | Research on the determinants of
collective action in the commons generally focuses on
interest-group heterogeneity, implicitly assuming that
groups perceive the same problems but have different
priorities. This paper changes the focus to the role played
by perceptions themselves. Within localities, collective
action may be easier if elite and non-elite households have
similar perceptions of environmental problems. Regionally,
collective action may be aided by common perceptions among
local elites who communicate across village lines. This
paper uses regression analysis to explore variations in
environmental perceptions across classes and localities,
using new survey data from the Indian Sundarbans. The paper
finds that perceptions vary significantly across localities.
Within localities, perceptions among elite households vary
significantly more than perceptions among non-elite
households. The results therefore favor locally-oriented
collective action in the region, along with local governance
that promotes non-elite participation. |
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