Can pastoral institutions perform without access options?

Abstract

This is the ninth of the ICARDA Social Science Papers. The present study is intended to contribute to the common-property debate by strengthening the link between property rights and production strategies, and to show how institutional inefficiencies may occur in any system of common-property rights regardless of the degree of control that communities have over their resources. Following the introduction, the institutional framework is discussed on the basis of two important concepts: capacity and strength of local institutions. Drawing lessons from land disputes in Morocco and Niger, the performance of local institutions is then evaluated and the way in which land policies affected the capacity and strength of present pastoral systems to manage their resources is analyzed. New trends and the emergence of new access options for pastoral resources are then assessed