Collaboration for public goods

Gerard Breeman

Katrien Termeer

Wageningen University

Elinor Ostrom

People can and do work together to manage common resources —grazing lands, forests, irrigation waters, fisheries—sustainably and equitably over the long term.

Debunks popular theories that resource management can only occur under the auspices of either “the state” or “the market.”

Garrett Hardin

Public goods

Excludable Non excludable

Rivalrous Private goods- bread

Common goods/pool resources-fish stocks-fresh water-timber

Non rivalrous Club goods-cinema

Public goods:- Fresh air- Water storage- Landscape- Biking routes

Eurovissers

Organizing collectives

3.Connecting

with society

1.Organizing trust and mandates

2.Negotiating with govern-

ment

Robert Putnam

Bonding

Linking

Bridging

1. ORGANZING TRUST, MANDATES, PRACTICALITIES

2 times collective trust

I trust you

I trust you

I trust you

We trust you

We trust you

We trust you

Why do farmers collaborate in collectives?

Underlying values:

Autonomy

Social bonding

●We (collectiveness)

●Mutual trust

Spatial bonding (identity)

●Enduring connectedness

●Pride

●Unique

Pragmatics:

What’s in it for me? Let’s calculate..

Is this the right moment?

What about my neighbors?

Will it be successful?

Simply don’t like it

Ladder of collaboration in collectives

Acting as one collective

Implementing policies, controlling, paying

Contracting, transfer of responsibilities

Joint development of visions and activities

Mutual learning

Shared services

Interest representation

Acting as individual farmerscollective

Design principles Ostrom

1. Clearly defined boundaries

2. Congruence between costs and benefits

3. Flexible rules

4. Monitoring

5. Graduated sanctions

6. Conflict-resolution mechanisms

7. Minimal recognition of rights to organize by governments

8. Nested enterprises

2. LINKING WITH GOVERNMENT

Collectives in heavily regulated policy fields Schemes and Regulations: multilevel (EU, national, local);

multi policy domains (agriculture, nature, climate, health etc.)

Constraints and advantages (e.g. payments)

Negotiation with governmental actors in order to create space for collective arrangements for the (self-) management of natural resources.

Politics of self governance

Ladder of self governance

Collective (C) in the steering seat

Devolution of responsibilities/resources

C implements elements/ strict frameworks

Joint development of visions and activities

C assists G fine-tuning regulations

C provides information to G

Government (G) in the steering seat government

Politics of self governance

Two steps

●Public authorities approve a form of self-governance

●Developing a set of arrangements that will enable the devolution of the obligations and objectives of the policy-makers to the self-governing community, and that will ensure that policy goals are safeguarded

Relational contracting: shared understandings underpin the contract, focus on preserving the relationship

Leadership from the site of the government and the collective

Self- governing collective

Devolution of governmental responsibilities

3. CONNECTING WITH SOCIETAL ACTORS

Connecting strategies

Organizing trust and mandates

Licence to produce

Communication

New connections

Social media

Farmers, beer and water

Pitfalls and opportunities

Negotia-ting with govern-ment

Organizing trust and mandates

Connectingwith society