A theoretical framework for exploring the capability of participative and collective governance in sustainable outcomes - Literature Review and Draft Framework- Jennifer Meyer-Ueding Division of Cooperative Sciences, Department of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt University of Berlin,
[email protected] Abstract This paper presents the draft of a composite theoretical framework for describing participative and collective forms of resource governance in integrative institutional settings. Given the observable deficiencies in hierarchical governance, the underlying approach argues that the transfer of governance powers to affected stakeholders makes the provision of basic and limited resources more legitimate and sustainable as long as it is organized according to specific criteria for participation and cooperation. Our approach is multidisciplinary, combining insights from political science, institutional economics and systems theory in an extensive literature review. This draft framework is intended for analyzing the degree of participative governance and collective action according to appropriate organizational forms of civil society at the local level and in an urban context in India (i.e. cooperatives, NGOs, CBOs) but can be employed for analyzing different organizational forms at different levels (local, regional, national, global). Key words: Framework, Participative Governance, Collective Action, Social Capital, Sustainable Development, Integrative Institutions, Civil Society, System Theory, Actor- Centered Institutionalism, India, Hyderabad 1. Aims and scope of this paper This paper aims to design a comprehensive framework to aid both in the analysis of the degree of participative governance and collective action according to appropriate organizational forms and at various levels, and to analyse its implications for sustainability. It is intended to deliver some new insights into the interrelation between participation, collective action and sustainability.