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Forests to the People: Decentralization and Forest Degradation in the Indian Himalayas

Author

Listed:
  • Jean-Marie Baland

    (University of Namur)

  • Pranab Bardhan

    (University of California, Berkeley)

  • Sanghamitra Das

    (Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi)

  • Dilip Mookherjee

    (Institute for Economic Development, Boston University)

Abstract
Most analyses of the impact of community management of common property resources are based on cross-sectional comparisons in case studies or small samples, perception-based measurement of resource conditions, and absence of controls for unobserved community characteristics and non-random assignment of management types. This paper compares forests managed by local community groups called Van Panchayats (VPs), with protected and unprotected state forests in the Indian state of Uttaranchal. We utilize ground-level ecological measures of forest quality including canopy cover, biomass, lopping and regeneration in 399 forests accessed by residents of a random sample of 83 villages in the mid-Himalayan region of Uttaranchal. Raw differences between VP and non-VP forest quality indicate no significant differences. We find evidence consistent with the hypothesis that these understate the benefits of VP management owing to endogenous selection, since more degraded forests are more likely to be converted to VP forests. Controlling for forest geography, unobserved village characteristics and cross-forest spillovers, VP forests are significantly less lopped, and similar on other dimensions. The lopping differences are greater the longer the forest has been under a VP.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Marie Baland & Pranab Bardhan & Sanghamitra Das & Dilip Mookherjee, 2008. "Forests to the People: Decentralization and Forest Degradation in the Indian Himalayas," Boston University - Department of Economics - The Institute for Economic Development Working Papers Series dp-169, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bos:iedwpr:dp-169
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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