Successfully governing the commons: principles of social organization in an Andean irrigation system

Paper analysing the perenniality of an irrigation system in the Andes through the social organization of the community.

Throughout the world it is unusual to find irrigation systems that work well, distributing water efficiently and with minimal conflict, especially in situations where the resource is scarce. This paper describes one such system in the Peruvian Andes, a peasant village where irrigation and water management are handled in an unusual way. It analyzes the village principles of social organization, showing that these create a situation of equity and transparency which provides people with a strong incentive to obey the rules and conserve water. By doing so, they are directly maximizing the frequency of irrigation, a benefit that is the same for everyone using a given source of water. The system is argued to be a highly effective and sustainable way of dealing with a scarce and fluctuating resource.

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