Market-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-action
Groundwater scarcity poses threats to communities across the globe, and effectively managing those challenges requires designing policy that achieves institutional fit. Collective action is well-suited to match rules with local context, and multiple pathways exist for communities to achieve reductio...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acc8ec |
| _version_ | 1827772324708876288 |
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| author | Jonah J Allen Steven M Smith |
| author_facet | Jonah J Allen Steven M Smith |
| author_sort | Jonah J Allen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Groundwater scarcity poses threats to communities across the globe, and effectively managing those challenges requires designing policy that achieves institutional fit. Collective action is well-suited to match rules with local context, and multiple pathways exist for communities to achieve reductions in groundwater use. To better understand how local conditions influence rule design, we examine two groundwater-reliant communities in the Western US that engaged in collective-action to arrive at distinct groundwater management rules. We consider: what drove stakeholders in Northwestern Kansas (NWKS) and San Luis Valley, Colorado (SLV) to adopt local groundwater policies, and why were different management pathways chosen? Further, why is more heterogeneity observed between local management organizations in SLV as compared to NWKS? To investigate these questions, we employ grounded theory to interpret the rules in reference to local hydro-agro-economic statistics and interviews with stakeholders ( n = 19) in each region selected by expert sampling. We find that the additional goals of groundwater rules in SLV, partially driven by key contrasts in the resource system compared to NWKS, and higher resource productivity in SLV, creates both the need for and efficacy of a price-centered policy. Furthermore, variation in the resource systems and associated farm characteristics between subdistricts drives higher heterogeneity in rule design between local management districts in SLV compared to NWKS. More generally, we find the local flexibility afforded through the collective-action process as critical, even if it were to arrive at alternative, non-economic based incentives. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:06:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b30aa973607c43fc94205b56877a6cb2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:06:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-b30aa973607c43fc94205b56877a6cb22023-11-03T14:34:42ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262023-01-0118404500610.1088/1748-9326/acc8ecMarket-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-actionJonah J Allen0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1209-4898Steven M Smith1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9653-2663Department of Economics and Business, Colorado School of Mines , Golden, CO 80401, United States of AmericaDepartment of Economics and Business, Colorado School of Mines , Golden, CO 80401, United States of America; Hydrologic Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines , Golden, CO 80401, United States of AmericaGroundwater scarcity poses threats to communities across the globe, and effectively managing those challenges requires designing policy that achieves institutional fit. Collective action is well-suited to match rules with local context, and multiple pathways exist for communities to achieve reductions in groundwater use. To better understand how local conditions influence rule design, we examine two groundwater-reliant communities in the Western US that engaged in collective-action to arrive at distinct groundwater management rules. We consider: what drove stakeholders in Northwestern Kansas (NWKS) and San Luis Valley, Colorado (SLV) to adopt local groundwater policies, and why were different management pathways chosen? Further, why is more heterogeneity observed between local management organizations in SLV as compared to NWKS? To investigate these questions, we employ grounded theory to interpret the rules in reference to local hydro-agro-economic statistics and interviews with stakeholders ( n = 19) in each region selected by expert sampling. We find that the additional goals of groundwater rules in SLV, partially driven by key contrasts in the resource system compared to NWKS, and higher resource productivity in SLV, creates both the need for and efficacy of a price-centered policy. Furthermore, variation in the resource systems and associated farm characteristics between subdistricts drives higher heterogeneity in rule design between local management districts in SLV compared to NWKS. More generally, we find the local flexibility afforded through the collective-action process as critical, even if it were to arrive at alternative, non-economic based incentives.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acc8ecgroundwater commonsirrigationself-governance |
| spellingShingle | Jonah J Allen Steven M Smith Market-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-action Environmental Research Letters groundwater commons irrigation self-governance |
| title | Market-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-action |
| title_full | Market-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-action |
| title_fullStr | Market-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-action |
| title_full_unstemmed | Market-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-action |
| title_short | Market-oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective-action |
| title_sort | market oriented solutions for groundwater commons through collective action |
| topic | groundwater commons irrigation self-governance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acc8ec |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jonahjallen marketorientedsolutionsforgroundwatercommonsthroughcollectiveaction AT stevenmsmith marketorientedsolutionsforgroundwatercommonsthroughcollectiveaction |