2002 World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists

The relationship between socio-economic heterogeneity and distributional implications of community-based forest management is becoming a growing concern in issues of local level collective action. This study tries to examine the contested role of group heterogeneity and equity of resource distribution in community-based property rights regime in reference to community forestry (CF) management in Nepal. The analysis of household level benefits from CF indicates that poorer households are currently benefiting less from CF than relatively better off households. Econometric analysis suggests that household level income from CF is dictated by various socio-economic variables. While CF seems to be good for the forest resource itself and local environment, fundamental questions remain about the equity, distribution and livelihood implications of CPR institutions. Policy measures that aim to reduce heterogeneity among user households along with non-timber forest products (NTFPs) oriented management regimes in CF help to increases income of the poorer households from the local commons.



	Paper Title:	Property Rights And Natural Resource: Socio-Economic Heterogeneity And Distributional Implications Of Common Property Resource Management In Nepal
	Presenting Author:	Bhim Adhikari (University of York)
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	Abstract:	The relationship between socio-economic heterogeneity and distributional implications of community-based forest management is becoming a growing concern in issues of local level collective action. This study tries to examine the contested role of group heterogeneity and equity of resource distribution in community-based property rights regime in reference to community forestry (CF) management in Nepal. The analysis of household level benefits from CF indicates that poorer households are currently benefiting less from CF than relatively better off households. Econometric analysis suggests that household level income from CF is dictated by various socio-economic variables. While CF seems to be good for the forest resource itself and local environment, fundamental questions remain about the equity, distribution and livelihood implications of CPR institutions. Policy measures that aim to reduce heterogeneity among user households along with non-timber forest products (NTFPs) oriented management regimes in CF help to increases income of the poorer households from the local commons.
	Link to paper:	http://weber.ucsd.edu/~carsonvs/papers/387.doc

	Session / Day / Time	5D / Tuesday / 8:00 - 10:00 am

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