IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/deveco/v138y2019icp180-191.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Women as decision makers in community forest management: Evidence from Nepal

Author

Listed:
  • Leone, Marinella

Abstract

In many developing countries women are responsible for the collection and management of forest products essential to the daily lives of their household. However, women are often neglected in the decision-making process within community level institutions devoted to the management of natural resources. This paper looks at whether and how an increased participation of women in the Executive Committee (EC) of Community Forest User Groups (FUG) in Nepal affects forest protection. I exploit an amendment made to the guidelines for FUG formation that sets a higher threshold for women representation in the EC, to evaluate the impact of women on firewood extraction. The results show that higher female participation in the ECs of FUGs leads to a significant decrease in firewood extraction. These results suggest that in countries with common property resources, the effectiveness of collective action institutions depends also on their gender composition.

Suggested Citation

  • Leone, Marinella, 2019. "Women as decision makers in community forest management: Evidence from Nepal," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 180-191.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:138:y:2019:i:c:p:180-191
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2019.01.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304387818304929
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2019.01.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Irma Clots-Figueras, 2012. "Are Female Leaders Good for Education? Evidence from India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 212-244, January.
    2. Jean-Marie Baland & François Libois & Dilip Mookherjee, 2018. "Forest Degradation and Economic Growth in Nepal, 2003–2010," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 5(2), pages 401-439.
    3. Sebastian Calonico & Matias D. Cattaneo & Rocio Titiunik, 2014. "Robust data-driven inference in the regression-discontinuity design," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 14(4), pages 909-946, December.
    4. Agarwal, Bina, 2009. "Gender and forest conservation: The impact of women's participation in community forest governance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(11), pages 2785-2799, September.
    5. Edmonds, Eric V., 2002. "Government-initiated community resource management and local resource extraction from Nepal's forests," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 89-115, June.
    6. Jean-Marie Baland & Pranab Bardhan & Sanghamitra Das & Dilip Mookherjee & Rinki Sarkar, 2010. "The Environmental Impact of Poverty: Evidence from Firewood Collection in Rural Nepal," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(1), pages 23-61, October.
    7. Jean-Marie Baland & François Libois & Dilip Mookherjee, 2012. "Firewood collections and economic growth in rural Nepal 1995-2010: Evidence from a household panel," Working Papers 1215, University of Namur, Department of Economics.
    8. Cooke, Priscilla A, 1998. "Intrahousehold Labor Allocation Responses to Environmental Good Scarcity: A Case Study from the Hills of Nepal," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 46(4), pages 807-830, July.
    9. Wade, Robert, 1987. "The Management of Common Property Resources: Collective Action as an Alternative to Privatisation or State Regulation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 11(2), pages 95-106, June.
    10. Acharya, Krishna P. & Gentle, Popular, 2006. "Improving the effectiveness of collective action: sharing experiences from community forestry in Nepal," CAPRi working papers 54, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    11. Agarwal, Bina, 2000. "Conceptualising Environmental Collective Action: Why Gender Matters," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 24(3), pages 283-310, May.
    12. Raghabendra Chattopadhyay & Esther Duflo, 2004. "Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Policy Experiment in India," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 72(5), pages 1409-1443, September.
    13. Clots-Figueras, Irma, 2007. "Are female leaders good for education? : Evidence from India," UC3M Working papers. Economics we077342, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    14. Agrawal, Arun, 2001. "Common Property Institutions and Sustainable Governance of Resources," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(10), pages 1649-1672, October.
    15. Bhim Adhikari & Jon Lovett, 2006. "Institutions and collective action: Does heterogeneity matter in community-based resource management?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(3), pages 426-445.
    16. Agarwal, Bina, 2009. "Rule making in community forestry institutions: The difference women make," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(8-9), pages 2296-2308, June.
    17. Agarwal, Bina, 2010. "Does Women's Proportional Strength Affect their Participation? Governing Local Forests in South Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 98-112, January.
    18. Edmonds, Eric V, 2003. "Development Assistance and the Construction of Government-Initiated Community Institutions," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 51(4), pages 897-928, July.
    19. Agarwal, Bina, 2013. "Gender and Green Governance: The Political Economy of Women's Presence Within and Beyond Community Forestry," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199683024, Decembrie.
    20. Sebastian Calonico & Matias D. Cattaneo & Max H. Farrell & Roc ́ıo Titiunik, 2017. "rdrobust: Software for regression-discontinuity designs," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 17(2), pages 372-404, June.
    21. Pranab Bardhan, 1993. "Symposium on Management of Local Commons," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 7(4), pages 87-92, Fall.
    22. Andrew D. Foster & Mark R. Rosenzweig, 2003. "Economic Growth and the Rise of Forests," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(2), pages 601-637.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Akter, Sonia, 2024. "Climate Resilient Development for Agriculture and Pathways for Gender Inclusivity," IAAE 2024 Conference, August 2-7, 2024, New Delhi, India 344227, International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).
    2. François Libois & Jean-Marie Baland & Nicolas Delbart & Subhrendu Pattanayak, 2021. "Community Forest Management: The story behind a success story in Nepal," DeFiPP Working Papers 2106, University of Namur, Development Finance and Public Policies.
    3. Takahashi, Ryo & Otsuka, Keijiro & Tilahun, Mesfin & Birhane, Emiru & Holden, Stein, 2024. "Beyond Ostrom: Randomized experiment of the impact of individualized tree rights on forest management in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    4. Pubali Chakraborty & Naveen Hari & Bipasha Maity, 2025. "Female Legislators and Forest Conservation in India," Working Papers 104, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.
    5. Siriluck Thammanu & Hee Han & E. M. B. P. Ekanayake & Yoonkoo Jung & Joosang Chung, 2021. "The Impact on Ecosystem Services and the Satisfaction Therewith of Community Forest Management in Northern Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-31, December.
    6. Shrestha, Gitta & Pakhtigian, Emily L. & Jeuland, Marc, 2023. "Women who do not migrate: Intersectionality, social relations, and participation in Western Nepal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    7. Ota, Liz & Lidestav, Gun & Andersson, Elias & Page, Tony & Curnow, Jayne & Nunes, Lilian & Goltiano, Henry & Gregorio, Nestor & dos Santos, Natalia Ferreira & Herbohn, John, 2024. "Reviewing gender roles, relations, and perspectives in small-scale and community forestry – implications for policy and practice," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    8. Dennis Etemesi Olumeh & Dagmar Mithöfer, 2024. "Impact of collective action on household welfare: Empirical evidence from baobab collectors in Malawi," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 95(2), pages 385-411, June.
    9. Bocci, Corinne & Mishra, Khushbu, 2021. "Forest power: The impact of community forest management on female empowerment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    10. Joyashree Roy & Anjal Prakash & Shreya Some & Chandni Singh & Rachel Bezner Kerr & Martina Angela Caretta & Cecilia Conde & Marta Rivera Ferre & Corinne Schuster-Wallace & Maria Cristina Tirado-von de, 2022. "Synergies and trade-offs between climate change adaptation options and gender equality: a review of the global literature," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paudel, Jayash, 2018. "Community-Managed Forests, Household Fuelwood Use and Food Consumption," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 62-73.
    2. Grillos, Tara, 2018. "Women’s participation in environmental decision-making: Quasi-experimental evidence from northern Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 115-130.
    3. St. Clair, Priscilla Cooke, 2016. "Community forest management, gender and fuelwood collection in rural Nepal," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 52-71.
    4. Bošković, Branko & Chakravorty, Ujjayant & Pelli, Martino & Risch, Anna, 2023. "The effect of forest access on the market for fuelwood in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    5. Naidu, Sirisha C., 2011. "Gendered effects of work and participation in collective forest management," MPRA Paper 31091, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Chauvin, Juan Pablo & Tricaud, Clemence, 2022. "Gender and Electoral Incentives: Evidence from Crisis Response," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12411, Inter-American Development Bank.
    7. Paudel, Jayash, 2016. "Community-Managed Forests and Household Welfare: Empirical Evidence from Nepal," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235481, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Behera, Bhagirath, 2009. "Explaining the performance of state-community joint forest management in India," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 177-185, November.
    9. Boskovic, Branko & Chakravorty, Ujjayant & Pelli, Martino & Risch, Anna, 2018. "The Effect of Forest Access on the Market for Fuelwood in India," TSE Working Papers 18-925, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    10. Chand, Narendra & Kerr, Geoffrey N. & Bigsby, Hugh, 2015. "Production efficiency of community forest management in Nepal," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 172-179.
    11. Shreya Biswas & Upasak Das & Sandhya Garg, 2024. "Growing with greener pastures: Examining the role of graduate politicians on forest cover in India," IEG Working Papers 463, Institute of Economic Growth.
    12. Mavisakalyan, Astghik & Tarverdi, Yashar, 2019. "Gender and climate change: Do female parliamentarians make difference?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 151-164.
    13. Joo, Hailey Hayeon & Lee, Jungmin, 2018. "Encountering female politicians," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 88-122.
    14. Paul Pelzl & Steven Poelhekke, 2023. "Democratization, leader education and growth: firm-level evidence from Indonesia," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 571-600, December.
    15. Thushyanthan Baskaran & Sonia Bhalotra & Brian Min & Yogesh Uppal, 2024. "Women legislators and economic performance," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 151-214, June.
    16. Monica Martinez-Bravo, 2017. "The Local Political Economy Effects of School Construction in Indonesia," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 256-289, April.
    17. Guta, Dawit Diriba, 2014. "Effect of fuelwood scarcity and socio-economic factors on household bio-based energy use and energy substitution in rural Ethiopia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 217-227.
    18. Bruce, Raphael & Cavgias, Alexsandros & Meloni, Luis & Remígio, Mário, 2022. "Under pressure: Women’s leadership during the COVID-19 crisis," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    19. Selcen Çakır & Konstantinos Matakos & Janne Tukiainen, 2022. "Delegation and Recruitment in Organizations: The Slippery Slope to “Bad” Leadership," Discussion Papers 158, Aboa Centre for Economics.
    20. Bagues, Manuel & Campa, Pamela, 2021. "Can gender quotas in candidate lists empower women? Evidence from a regression discontinuity design," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender; Firewood collection; Collective action; Community forestry; Natural resource management; Nepal;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:138:y:2019:i:c:p:180-191. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/devec .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.