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Examining the Role of Social Capital in Community Collective Action for Sustainable Wetland Fisheries in Bangladesh

H. M. Tuihedur Rahman
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, School of Agriculture and Mineral Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Gordon M. Hickey
Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue H9X 3V9, Canada

Swapan K. Sarker
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, School of Agriculture and Mineral Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Internationally, the decentralization of property rights is becoming an increasingly common policy intervention for sustainable natural resource management. In the context of decentralized wetland fisheries policy in Bangladesh, this paper examines the role that social capital plays in cooperation building and collective action among diverse households seeking to obtain fisheries property rights. It considers how some households are able to develop collective action in the form of a community-based organization to access wetland fisheries, and why other households are not. Using the Local Level Institution (LLI) study technique, our analysis highlights that the financial capacity of community members plays a crucial role in accessing resources when the government’s decentralization policy also seeks to generate State revenue through fees. In this situation, information access and communication with external agencies were found to be prerequisites for earning the wetland fisheries property rights, with local leaders able to take advantage of their position to dictate collective decision making. This situation resulted in undemocratic decentralization and devolution of wetland fisheries rights, undermining transparency, accountability and the equitable distribution of natural resources.

Keywords: Formal and informal institutions, Decentralization, Leadership, Sustainable natural resource management, Sustainable livelihoods

Location: Fenchuganj Upozilla in Sylhat district.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Fish

Objectives:

More specifically, our aim was to identify the prerequisites for developing a community-based fisher organization by assessing the relationships between collective action (dependent variable) and social capital variables (independent variables) among fishers in Barwal village, situated in the north-eastern district of Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Methodology:

Study Area This study was conducted in Baroal village, based on access to the Chilua Tindubi Jolmohal (wetland) of Fenchuganj Upozilla in Sylhat district. This village is comprised of approximately 108 households, among which 58 households are Hindu and 50 are Muslim. Muslim community members are usually farmers while the Hindu community members are fishers. These members usually fish in the adjacent wetland and in the Kushiyara River during the inundation period of the area (June–January). For the rest of the year, the fishermen usually work as day labourers in the agricultural fields of the village. The village has poor infrastructure, with road access not possible during the rainy season. There is one primary school located in the village and the closest high school is located approximately 1.5 km away. The nearest medical centre, post office and police station are in Fenchuganj Sadar, located 6 km from the village. The per capita years of schooling is 7, and the per capita income is $738 USD per annum, which is just below the national average. Study Design We used a case study research design because it allowed the Bintensive study of a single unit for the purpose of understanding a larger class of (similar) units (Gerring 2004). This approach allowed us to focus intensively on our research question (Yin 2003) while also enabling us to examine within-case co-variation (Gerring 2004) and multiple aspects of the research problem (Voss et al. 2002) within a defined context. Importantly, while the results from single case study research are not suitable for generalizing to populations (Flyvbjerg 2006; Voss et al. 2002), the results are useful for informing theory and provide novel insights which may warrant further research and policy consideration (Darke et al. 1998). Recognizing that our research sought to assess the role of social capital in collective action at a single point in space and time, the case study method provided us with the most appropriate framework for undertaking data collection and analysis (Gerring 2004). Baroal village was selected as our case study because of its geographic position which facilitated travel and data collection, its similarity to other surrounding fishing villages [particularly in terms of income levels, livelihood patterns and social structure (personal communication with local leaders)], the suitable number of study units which allowed complete data collection coverage, and the availability of local resources to facilitate the research. Social Capital Variables We collected data on eight social capital variables in each fisher household: Number of memberships: This is the measure of membership of household members in different social organizations. These organizations can be either formal or informal. This variable indicates household participation in different social activities. Heterogeneity index: Estimates internal homogeneity of groups. In the LLI, this is measured by identifying the three most important groups for each household. Thus, the homogeneity of each group is calculated using a rating system which uses nine criteria: religion, economic status, occupation, age, kin group, neighbourhood, political orientation, gender and level of education. For this rating system, a scale has been constructed where the lowest scale value is 0 and the highest scale value is 9. Each criterion has a given value of 1, indicating that an organization’s members are mostly from different groups of religion, economic status, gender etc. The scores of the studied groups are averaged and then rescaled from 0 to 100 where 100 represents the highest possible heterogeneity. Meeting attendance: Indicates the frequency of group meeting attendance by household members in different social groups. In this study, a meeting attendance score was calculated for each year

Source of Information: Wetlands 04 February, 2015

Article Link (Online Journal): DOI 10.1007/s13157-015-0635-5

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Social capital (including bonding, linking and bridging) has immense importance in collective actions, particularly to obtain property rights under a government policy of decentralization. However, our study suggests that in addition to the need for high levels of bonding social capital, financial capacity plays a crucial role when the decentralization policy also involves generating revenue for government. In such situations, information access and communication with external agencies were found to be prerequisites for receiving the wetland fisheries property rights. Here, linking and bridging social capitals become essential. Due to the low levels of linking and bridging social capital held by community members in our study area, local leaders were able to take advantage of information access and widespread communication with external agencies and other financial sources to establish symbolic power in the community and dictate collective decision making. While a considerable amount of research has been conducted in Bangladesh criticizing the macro-level institutional flaws associated with governmental policies and operational activities associated with decentralization of wetland property rights, few have considered the micro-level processes associated with earning these property rights. Therefore, our study suggests that in addition to the previously identified government policy flaws, the status and dynamics of social capital in a resource-dependent community requires more focus in decentralization policy formulation. More specifically, initiatives should be taken to enhance bridging and linking social capital among community members. Here, a participatory group building framework may assist community members to establish direct communication with external agents (e.g., government agencies and sources of credit). It may also contribute to reducing the potential for elite capture of collective decision-making and actions. The decentralization of resources may be more effective for resource-dependent communities when democratic devolution of power can be ensured. Better two-way information flow between communities and government and a reorganization of revenue-based decentralization rules may improve collective action outcomes in the community, however further research is needed to assess community capacities to meaningfully participate in collaborative decision making processes in Bangladesh.

Knowledge Management: Journal