Collective action in the pastural area of Inner Mongolia, China: Evidence from a lab-in-the-field experiment

• Wang, Jizhe ^[1] ; Alita, Lita ^[2] ; Jiang, Ming ^[3] ; Nie, Zihan ^[4] ; Tu, Qin ^[4] ; Liu, Min ^[1]
  1. [1] Lanzhou University

     Lanzhou University

     China

     
  2. [2] University of International Business and Economics

     University of International Business and Economics

     China

     
  3. [3] Shanghai Jiao Tong University

     Shanghai Jiao Tong University

     China

     
  4. [4] Beijing Normal University

     Beijing Normal University

     China

     

  Mostrar afiliaciones +
• Localización: Land use policy: The International Journal Covering All Aspects of Land Use, ISSN 0264-8377, ISSN-e 1873-5754, Nº. 144, 2024
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The degradation of grasslands is a pressing global issue. Extensive research has explored the implementation of collective action as a means to ensure the sustainable use of grassland resources. However, empirical analysis of its impact in the field is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a lab-in-the-field experiment to evaluate the intensity of herders’ participation in collective action and estimated its impact on grassland conservation and livestock production at herder household level. As a robustness check, we performed a principal component analysis to measure herders’ willingness to participate in collective action. The empirical results show that collective action has significant positive effects on grassland quality and livestock number. A mechanism analysis indicates that herders who are more actively engaged in collective action are more likely to adopt rotational grazing management practices, leading to better grassland quality and a higher number of livestock. A heterogeneity analysis reveals that the benefits of collective action on grassland conservation vary based on resource endowments and individual characteristics, including grassland area and social network. This study makes a significant contribution to the study of sustainable grassland management that promotes the coupling development of grassland protection and livestock production.