scholarly journals Does Farmland Scale Management Promote Rural Collective Action? An Empirical Study of Canal Irrigation Systems in China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1263
Author(s):  
Liangzhen Zang ◽  
Yahua Wang ◽  
Yiqing Su
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Free Riding ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Rural Public Goods ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Farming Households ◽  
Scale Management

Farmland scale management represents an inevitable trend toward global modern agriculture. In the new development context, the key to solving the tough problem of the insufficient supply of rural public goods is to effectively improve the enthusiasm of farming households to participate in rural collective action in countries with a small arable area per capita, such as India, China and countries in Eastern Europe. This paper adopts the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework in the context of a land system with Chinese characteristics, and uses sample data of 3663 rural households in 17 provinces to study the impact of farmland scale and various relevant systems on farming households’ participation in rural collective action. We found that the advantages of collective action, such as reduced production costs, enhanced risk resistance and improved production efficiency, can offset the disadvantages incurred by free-riding behavior, and the expansion of farmland scale can significantly facilitate rural collective action. Additionally, as the farmland scale expands, stable farmland tenure and reasonable farmland tenure transfer can help to optimize the allocation of arable land resources, increase investment, and reduce free-riding behavior, thus effectively stimulating farming households to actively participate in collective action. However, since socialized agricultural services lead to the separation of the suppliers and the users of rural public goods, the expansion of farmland scale shows a negative effect. Therefore, in the context of the continuous migration of the rural population to cities, a stable farmland tenure adjustment mechanism should be established, while the balance between farmland tenure transfer and socialized agricultural services, in pushing forward rural collective action, should be emphasized, so as to ensure the effective supply of rural public goods in propelling farmland scale management. Especially in promoting the development of socialized agricultural services, more attention should be paid to specifying the responsibilities and obligations of the main provider of commercialized services in the supply of rural public goods.

scholarly journals Modes of Collective Action in Village Economies: Evidence from Natural and Artefactual Field Experiments in a Developing Country

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Sawada ◽  
Ryuji Kasahara ◽  
Keitaro Aoyagi ◽  
Masahiro Shoji ◽  
Mika Ueyama
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Size Effect ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Free Riding ◽  
Free Rider ◽  
Individual Contribution ◽  
Free Rider Problem ◽  
Group Size Effect

In a canonical model of collective action, individual contribution to collective action is negatively correlated with group size. Yet, empirical evidence on the group size effect has been mixed, partly due to heterogeneities in group activities. In this paper, we first construct a simple model of collective action with the free rider problem, altruism, public goods, and positive externalities of social networks. We then empirically test the theoretical implications of the group size effect on individual contribution to four different types of collective action, i.e., monetary or nonmonetary contribution to directly or indirectly productive activities. To achieve this, we collect and employ artefactual field experimental data such as public goods and dictator games conducted in southern Sri Lanka under a natural experimental situation where the majority of farmers were relocated to randomly selected communities based on the government lottery. This unique situation enables us to identify the causal effects of community size on collective action. We find that the levels of collective action can be explained by the social preferences of farmers. We also show evidence of free riding by self-interested households with no landholdings. The pattern of collective action, however, differs significantly by mode of activity—collective action that is directly rather than indirectly related to production is less likely to suffer from the free rider problem. Also, monetary contribution is less likely to cause free riding than nonmonetary labor contribution. Unlike labor contributions, monetary contributions involve collection of fees which can be easily tracked and verified, possibly leading to better enforcement of collective action.

The Logic of Logic, and Beyond

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Cronk ◽  
Beth L. Leech
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Free Riding ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Social Behavior

This chapter examines Mancur Olson's arguments, which he articulated in The Logic of Collective Action, and compares them with those of his supporters and detractors. It also reviews the social science literature on cooperation, focusing primarily on the theoretical and empirical research on collective action that grew out of Olson's challenge. According to Olson, the members of a group have interests in common. His logic was an economic logic, based on the behavior of firms in the marketplace in their quest for profits. Olson extended this logic of the market to human social behavior. The chapter considers Olson's solutions to the problem of free riding and the possibility that no group would ever form, including coercion, small groups, selective benefits, and the by-product theory of public goods provisioning. Finally, it describes some major extensions of and challenges to Olson's path-breaking model.

scholarly journals How “Free” is Free Riding in Civil Wars?: Violence, Insurgency, and the Collective Action Problem

2007 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stathis N. Kalyvas ◽  
Matthew Adam Kocher
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Free Riding ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Collective Action Problem ◽  
The Public ◽  
Individual Participation

That rebels face a collective action problem is one of the most widely shared assumptions in the literature on civil wars. The authors argue that the collective action paradigm can be both descriptively inaccurate and analytically misleading when it comes to civil wars. They question both pillars of the paradigm as applied to the study of civil wars, namely, the free-riding incentive generated by the public goods dimension of insurgency and the risks of individual participation in insurgent collective action. The authors argue, instead, that although insurgent collective action may entail the expectation of future collective benefits, public (rather than just private) costs tend to predominate in the short term. Moreover, the costs of nonparticipation and free riding may equal or even exceed those of participation. The authors support these claims by triangulating three types of evidence: historical evidence from counterinsurgency operations in several civil wars; data from the Vietnam War's Phoenix Program; and regional evidence from the Greek Civil War. They conclude by drawing implications for the study of civil wars.

Negotiating international cooperation: global public goods and fairness

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Albin
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
International Cooperation ◽  
Final Stage ◽  
Free Riding ◽  
Global Public Goods ◽  
Human Welfare ◽  
Multilateral Negotiations

Global public goods (GPGs) are vital to human welfare and security worldwide. Yet often they suffer from under-provision and free-riding, and are not accessible or beneficial to everyone. They illustrate starkly problems of collective action. This article examines multilateral negotiations in which countries seek agreement on the terms for collaboration in providing GPGs. It argues that common obstacles to an effective agreement concern justice and fairness issues, which arise from the earliest phase when the agenda is set to the final stage of securing implementation and compliance. Drawing on recent negotiation practice, it proposes a framework and a set of strategies for how such issues could be tackled.

scholarly journals Production efficiency and change characteristics of China’s apple industry in terms of planting scale

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254820
Author(s):  
Yu Sun ◽  
Yonghua Lu ◽  
Zichun Wang ◽  
Mingyue Li
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Industrial Structure ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Malmquist Productivity Index ◽  
Productivity Index ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Apple Industry ◽  
Apple Production ◽  
The Impact

The global population is rapidly increasing, the arable land area is losing in a large scale, and the water supply capacity is limited. Meanwhile, China is in a critical period of the transformation of apple industrial structure, and the improvement of apple production efficiency is an important way to increase farmers’ output and income, moderate-scale operation is the inevitable trend in agricultural modernization. However, few studies have explored the production efficiency of the apple industry from the perspective of planting scale. In China, there are seven major apple-producing provinces: Shaanxi, Shandong, Gansu, Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, and Liaoning. Therefore, based on provincial panel data of the seven main apple-producing areas in China, this study used the Malmquist productivity index and data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency level of the apple industry. At the same time, the threshold regression model was used to analyze the characteristics of the change in apple planting scale and production efficiency. The results showed that apple production efficiency in different regions of China exhibited regional differences and time series fluctuations. Apple planting scale had a "double" threshold effect, and the impact on apple production efficiency showed a "negative effect–positive effect" trend. Therefore, the suggestion is to appropriately adjust the scale of operation, take measures according to local conditions, promote the upgrading of apple production technology, and realize the integration of apple production and sales by using “Internet +.”

Can relationship bring more provision in rural public goods? Empirical evidence from rural China

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxin Wang ◽  
Qing Liu ◽  
Yanrui Wu ◽  
Huaqing Wu
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Public Goods Provision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Public Goods ◽  
Neighborhood Relationship ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Village ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how different types of the village relationship influence different types of public goods provision in rural China. Design/methodology/approach The three components (clan-based relationship, neighborhood relationship and external relationship) were derived by employing factor analysis. The simultaneous discrete choice model was used to estimate the influence of these components on public goods provision, using the survey data from the China Household Income Project conducted in 2007. Findings The findings indicate that considering different components of village relationship allows for a better understanding of the public good provision. The results indicate that the neighborhood relationship has a significantly positive effect on rural public goods provision, particularly on water conservancy and irrigation, while the external relationship has a significantly positive effect on all types of public goods. Practical implications Local public goods provision is the core of the new rural construction in China. These findings imply that relationship in villages plays a vital role in the provision of public goods and is necessary in the construction of the new harmonious countryside in China. The results also have implications for rural public goods provision in other developing countries. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to quantitatively model the impact of different relationships on public goods provision at the rural level. A consideration of the different components in village relationship allows for a more precise understanding of the pubic goods provision in the village.

Why Participate in Pro-Environmental Action? Individual Responsibility in Unstructured Collectives

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Leist
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Public Good ◽  
Free Riding ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Moral Duty ◽  
Environmental Action ◽  
Individual Contributions ◽  
Moral Arguments

AbstractThe degradation of natural resources in the environment is, technically speaking, a form of depleting a public good. Public goods are notorious for free-riding among egoists, but the marginality of individual contributions provides no less an obstacle, both to moral duty and motivation. This article discusses the problems of minimized and missing causal involvement on the empirical side; and, in the applicability of classical moral arguments, on the ethical side. It. suggests that individual responsibility is derived on the basis of implicit advantage-taking from participation in collective action.

scholarly journals The influence of the level of production intensity on the formation of an effective cost structure in crop production

Ekonomika APK ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 308 (6) ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Dmytro Shyian ◽  
Nataliia Lialina ◽  
Kateryna Honcharova
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Relative Value ◽  
Effective Cost ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of the article is to assess the relationship between the level of yield and the absolute and relative value of production costs of wheat, dredge corn, sunflower. Research methods. In the course of research a dialectical method of cognition was used, as well as systematic approach to the study of economic phenomena and processes, a monographic method (analysis of scientific achievements of domestic and foreign scientists on the problems of theory and practice of ensuring effective cost formation in agricultural enterprises). From special research methods abstract-logical (for theoretical generalizations and formulation of conclusions), economic-statistical (at definition of influence of level of intensity on size and efficiency of expenses of the basic kinds of crop production, establishment of character of their dependence), graphic (at construction of graphic images of researched processes) were used. Research results. As a result of the study, it was established how the intensity of production affects the formation of production efficiency of major crops (wheat, dredge corn, sunflower). The nature and degree of dependence between the level of yield of the main crops and the absolute and relative value of their production costs are also determined. The obtained results make it possible to form the preconditions for ensuring the development of agriculture, in particular the crop sector. Scientific novelty. The quantitative assessment of the impact of production intensity on the formation of cost-effectiveness in crop production, with a justification for changing their absolute and relative structure, was further developed. Practical significance. The practical significance of the obtained results is that their use will promote the agricultural deve-lopment, in particular crop production; improving the efficiency of existing enterprises. Tabl.: 5. Figs.: 2. Refs.: 15.

The Impact of Integrating Quality Costing and Value Stream Costing Concerning Competitive Advantage: Applied Study in Iraqi Industrial Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imad Almashkor ◽  
Elham Jaafer Alshawi ◽  
Jaber H Ali
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Quality Cost ◽  
Value Stream ◽  
Industrial Companies ◽  
Strong Relation ◽  
Reducing Costs ◽  
The Impact

By collecting data from a sample of Iraqi companies, the purpose of this study was to look into the impact of integrating quality cost and value stream costing on competitive advantage in Iraqi industrial companies. Quality costing helps management in lowering costs and preventing non-added costs, whereas value stream costing assists in tracing costs through production lines and enhancing cost Consumption, , both of the systems mentioned above assist in reducing production costs while increasing production efficiency, hence increasing competitive advantage. To achieve the research objectives, a quantitative method has been used, with a questionnaire with closed-ended questions distributed online to a sample of (100) managers and accountants in Iraqi industrial companies. The study concluded that there is a statistically significant, positive, and strong relation between the integration of Quality cost and value stream costing in Iraqi industrial companies, and that these two systems are complementary. The researchers recommend that in Iraqi industrial companies, Quality Cost be used in conjunction with Value Stream Costing in order to improve the use of the establishment's resources thus reducing costs to improve competitive advantage.

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