2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

A Comparative Study on the Role of Social Capital in Rural Common-Pool Resources Management in Japan and China

Research Project

Project/Area Number	19780168
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Agro-economics
Research Institution	Shiga University
Principal Investigator	FUJIE Takeshi Shiga University, 環境総合研究センター, 准教授 (40356316)
Project Period (FY)	2007 – 2009
Keywords	農村共有資源 / ソーシャル・キャピタル / 農業経済学
Research Abstract	This research investigates the role of social capital in the management of rural common-pool resources using the community-level data of rural communities collected in Japan and China. Our main findings are as follows. (i) Social capital and social heterogeneity in rural communities play significant roles in the management of rural common-pool resources in Japan. (ii) Social heterogeneity in rural communities in China has a determinant impact on the likelihood or success of resource management through benefit distribution channels by water managers. These results indicate that social heterogeneity in rural communities is one factor common to Japan and China in rural common pool resource management.