Institutional Dimensions of Comanagement: Participation, Power, and Process

Abstract

The arguments in favor of comanagement are relevant in many situations where there are conflicts over the use of natural resources. However, the complexity of factors associated with comanagement make its implementation difficult. A general conclusion of considerations based on analytical frameworks developed to study comanagement is that implementation can be facilitated through a design consistent with three key concepts: participation, power sharing, and process. However, since these concepts are treated ambiguously in the literature, their utility as guiding principles can be limited in real life situations. This ambiguity may be traced back to underlying theoretical assumptions, from either sociological or rational choice institutionalism embedded in the analytical frameworks of comanagement. Depending on the type of framework adopted, comanagement arrangements can be defined as either a success or a failure, indicating a need to develop more robust frameworks to guide politicians or managers introducing comanagement arrangements as an effective management tool.

Keywords:

• comanagement
• common pool resources
• governance
• participation
• power
• process

Thanks to Carina Lundmark and the seminar at the Department of Social Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, and to the anonymous referees for their critical comments on earlier drafts of this article. This research was supported with funds from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, MISTRA.