ABSTRACT
Institutions and organizations play a fundamental role in determining the access to and management of natural resources, such as land, water, and woodlands. Studies of common-pool resource management have shown that institutions have a strong, positive influence on sustainable use, if users are involved in decisionmaking, rule formulation, monitoring, and enforcement (Ostrom 1990; Murphree 1991). In this chapter, the term “institutions” refers to rules, norms, and enduring practices that guide people's behavior in a given society and make their interactions more predictable (North 1990; Uphoff 1986; Havnevik and Harsmar 1999; Leach and others 1997). Human structures that oversee the implementation and enforcement of these institutions are referred to here as “organizations.”
