Institutional arrangements and collective action: evidence from forest management in Zimbabwe

This study examines the emergence and development of collective action and institutional arrangements in forest communities in Zimbabwe. The research adopted a qualitative approach using 87 key informant interviews and 1054 questionnaires administered to randomly selected households from deforestation hotspots in five districts. Based on a theoretical concept that collective action depends on resource system characteristics, actor networks, institutional arrangements and the external environment, the study explored patterns in the emergence of collective action. The study further explored actor networks to illustrate applicability of Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a proxy of collective action and institutional arrangements. Results suggest that actor networks reflect the existing strength and intensity of collective action and institutional arrangements. Forest tenure has a bearing on the intensity of collective action. Forest resources under state management, though more productive in terms of goods and services than those under communal management, have a low capacity for collective action and the emergence of new institutions. Results suggest that a high diversity of actors relates to a high intensity of collective action and an emergence of new institutional arrangements. These findings have a bearing on policy and forest management strategies for forest resources under community and state proprietorship.