Games for groundwater governance: field experiments in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Groundwater is a common-pool resource that is subject to depletion in many places around the world as a result of increased use of irrigation and water-demanding cash crops. Where state capacity to control groundwater use is limited, collective action is important to increase recharge and restrict highly water-consumptive crops. We present results of field experiments in hard rock areas of Andhra Pradesh, India, to examine factors affecting groundwater use. Two nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) ran the games in communities where they were working to improve watershed and water management. Results indicate that, when the links between crop choice and groundwater depletion is made explicit, farmers can act cooperatively to address this problem. Longer NGO involvement in the villages was associated with more cooperative outcomes in the games. Individuals with more education and higher perceived community social capital played more cooperatively, but neither gender nor method of payment had a significantly effect on individual behavior. When participants could repeat the game with communication, similar crop choice patterns were observed. The games provided an entry point for discussion on the understanding of communities of the interconnectedness of groundwater use and crop choice.

Game Participation and Preservation of the Commons: An Experimental Approach

“…A key difference of our game to the large-scale "water management games" currently conducted in the field [15,16], is the level of interaction among participants. In our game, paired players, students and visitors, do not know each other and our outcome variable is limited to the amount donated to an environmental foundation.…”

“…A recent large-scale research project, implemented in several Indian villages, studies the effect of playing "water management games" on geo-physical variables such as the water table [15,16]. At a smaller scale and in a different context, our paper follows a similar approach.…”

Rivers are social–ecological systems: Time to integrate human dimensions into riverscape ecology and management

“…Literature on common pool resource experiments is typically aimed at understanding the mechanisms communities use to manage common pool resources (Cardenas, Janssen, & Bousquet, 2013;Janssen, Anderies, & Cardenas, 2011). Meinzen-Dick et al (Meinzen-Dick et al, 2016) recently published work examining how behavioral experiments can be used to promote greater cooperation in a common pool resource management regime. Common pool resources in riverscapes can also be evaluated using the institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework (Raheem, 2014).…”

Enabling sustainable, productive smallholder farming systems through improved land and water management

“…Through a variety of applications in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Central America, experimental games have played a triple role in a) raising farmers' awareness of how their decisions influence the quantity and quality of common resources (e.g., groundwater), b) encouraging discussion and building of community-based institutions, and c) providing researchers and implementers with insights into the factors that affect farmers' choices (Meinzen-Dick et al 2014, 2016.…”