Collective action in common-pool resource management: The contribution of a social constructivist perspective to existing theory

The question of how to organize the sustainable exploitation of common-pool resources (CPRs) is an important issue on a global environmental agenda. W e argue that the current approach to collective action in CPR management ha s a number of shortcomings I elated to (I) the focus on single-use CPRs and (2) the formulation of a priori design principles for successful collectiv e action, which hinders rather than facilitates CPR research and policies. We propose a social constructivist perspective for the study of CPRs, and d iscuss its implications for research and policy programs. This approach stu dies the CPR as an entity within a wider external environment, focusing on resource users' motivations for certain action strategies. The outcome of c ollective management is considered to be the result of interactions between stakeholders and nonhuman entities, which depends on the way social actors "socially construct" their everyday, reality. A case study of Irish fisher men, who felt alienated from their fishery as a result of the expansion of commercial finfish farms, and who created common property rights to secure access to the fishery,forms the empirical basis for this study.